JINHA

ŞIRNEX - Families that didn't leave Şırnak for 146 days say to forcibly displaced families that "We were in Şırnak and we saw what happened there. We witnessed both a heroic resistance and the tyranny of the state. The state has pulled down the city arbitrarily; everybody should enter Şırnak to prevent this destruction."

The majority of people were forcibly displaced from their homes in Şırnak following the declaration of curfew in the city on March 14. People haven't been allowed to enter Şırnak despite the announcement of "Operations ended" on June 4. As state forces have continued to pull down the city, citizens, those who didn't leave Şırnak during the siege, have reacted to the destruction and call on people to return to Şırnak. Ayşe İşlek, who didn't leave her home during the siege, said that they have stayed in Şırnak since curfew was declared and they had really difficult times.

Ayşe stated that they watched how tanks demolished the city for four months, she said, "We were in Şırnak and we saw what happened. We witnessed both a heroic resistance and the tyranny of the state. I didn't want to leave my home even if some days shell hit my home. Police came to my home and asked me "Why didn't you leave?" I told them 'I will never leave my lands, do you leave your lands?'"

People haven't been allowed to enter Şırnak despite the announcement of "Operations ended" on June 4. Ayşe reacted to that and said, "They have been pulling down houses in the city that's why they don't allow people to come in. Many of our relatives have begun to return Şırnak; however state forces have blocked all entrances of city, they haven't allowed people to return their homes. Many families, stayed on highlands around the city, have already returned to Şırnak. I call on other families to return their homes to prevent the destruction of state forces. The state has pulled down the city arbitrarily; we should stop that."

(aı-sg/gc/gd)