The Status of Internally Displaced Kurds in Turkey: - Kurdish Human ...

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KHRP / BHRC 2006situation, specifically landmines and village guards 28 . The latter are discussed inmore detail below.a. Security situationAs far as the mission believes, security forces do not specifically prevent IDPs fromreturning on the grounds of lack of safety. Yet security forces still maintain a strongpresence in the south-east, charged with protecting national security, rather thanprotecting the IDPs. As a result, many IDPs cite the escalation of armed activityin the region since 2004 as the main factor which hinders them from returning.Further, the actions of both security forces and armed opposition groups havecaused casualties among the military, civilians and opposition. This has resultedin a real risk that those who have managed to return to their villages may be reevacuated.29According to the Van branch of Göç-Der, 10 days prior to the mission’s visit to theregion, two villages were evacuated by security forces in Tunceli and Batman. Theforest near one of the villages, close to Silopi, was burnt for alleged security reasons,and the fire continued for around 20 days. When some villagers tried to extinguishthe fire, they were warned off with cannon fire. 30Further, those who do return often face intimidation from the security forces, inparticular those who have returned voluntarily and not through the Project. İHDVan branch reported to the mission that a returned villager in Gürpinar region, Vanprovince, received a threatening letter from the village of Hatay, which appeared tobe signed by the PKK. When he showed this letter to the military commanders,they simply took it from him and did not open an investigation, leading him andİHD to conclude that the letter was likely to have been written by the military in aneffort to discourage villagers returning. 31 The mission heard similar evidence froman IDP family who had been evacuated from the village of Cadlıca, Çatak districtin 1991, and currently live in the Bostaniçi district of Van. Last year, one memberof the family had attempted to return to their village but had been detained by thesecurity forces and threatened with death should he attempt to return again. 32 Themission was particularly concerned to hear reports of such behaviour by the statesecurity forces, since this is aimed at - and to some extent successful in - not onlyhindering and discouraging others from returning but also instilling fear in those28 Turkey 2005 Progress Report, SEC (20050 1425, Brussels, 9 November 2005), page 3929 FFM Interview with İHD Van branch, 3 July 200630 FFM Interview with Göç-Der Van branch, 3 July 200631 FFM Interview, 3 July 200632 FFM Interview, 4 July 2006, name of interviewee withheld24
The Status of Internally Displaced Kurds in Turkeywho have returned.b. LandminesLandmines still pose a serious problem to those who have returned or who wish toreturn to their villages. The exact numbers and locations of landmines in Turkeyare unknown. Although Turkey has committed to address ‘problems caused bylandmines laid by the terrorist organisations in the context of returns’ 33 and accededto the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production andTransfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction in September 2003,landmines continue to be used by both armed opposition groups and securityforces.Landmine damage on the way to Taşnacak, July 2006Indeed, the mission visited several returned villages in the Gürpınar region of Van,and witnessed the damage caused by a landmine which had exploded just two daysearlier. 34 Although fortunately nobody had been injured on that occasion, the minehad exploded in the middle of the road and had the potential to cause much damage.Further, when passing through a checkpoint, the mission was discouraged by themilitary from visiting the region due to the presence of landmines. Although themission believes that the real motivation behind this statement was to deter their visitrather than to protect them from the landmines, it was confused why the militaryhad not been taking steps to clear the landmines and to educate local occupantsabout the associated hazards, as they were clearly aware of their presence.33 Measures on the Issue of Internally Displaced Persons and the Return to Village and RehabilitationProject in Turkey, 17 August 2005, Principle B34 FFM visit to Taşnacak and Özlüce villages, 4 July 200625
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