Rojbin Kaçan/JINHA


MÊRDÎN - Rabia Taylan is one of the women those who have been forcibly displaced by state forces. She had had to leave Nusaybin to Konya 23 years ago due to the denial and annihilation policies of the state. She had returned to Nusaybin after 13 years. However, she has been displaced again by the state. She is intent on not going other cities in the West of Turkey and she is waiting outside of Nusaybin to return her home.

The denial and annihilation policies of the Turkish state have imposed on Kurdish people for years. Rabia Taylan's life story, like the life stories of thousands of Kurds, shows us the state's mentality hasn't changed for years. Rabia had had to leave the Nusaybin district of Mardin due to pressure of the state and moved to Konya 23 years ago. She had stayed away from her lands for years, but she couldn't stand to be apart from her lands and she had decided to return Nusaybin. She had returned to Nusaybin 13 years later. She was forced to leave Nusaybin again due to curfew was declared by the state. She didn't go to the cities in the West of Turkey that time. She stays with her family in the Silopi district of Şırnak. All Rabia wants to return her town again.

Rabia Taylan (55) stated that they had to leave Nusaybin the night curfew was declared upon the announcement of police. Rabia said, "The first night we left Nusaybin, we had to spend the night outside with our children. Then, one of our relatives live in the Deşte village of Nusaybin called us to stay with them. Later, we settled in Silopi. We stayed in Silopi for a while. However, the state declared curfew in Silopi, too. We had had to leave Silopi and our last address is the center of Mardin. We are 13 people and we live in a two-roomed house now. We sleep together.

"We were under siege of the state for four months. Nusaybin people aren't unfair to anyone. However, Erdoğan has shelled Nusaybin with tanks for six months. The Kurds haven't burned or destroyed other people's houses, but Erdoğan has burned and destroyed our houses with tanks and mortar for months. The Kurds just demand their rights. We don't want anything from anyone, we just want our rights."

Hediye Kanat (47) has been displaced like Rabia and many other people. Hediye said, "They demolished our stores on purpose. We want peace and fraternity not oppression. We had to rent a house in Mardin while we have our house in Nusaybin. We stay in this house with 12 people. Is this justice? We want to return our house. We just want peace nothing more."

(rk/mg/gd)