HAKKARİ - In Çukurca that has turned into an 'open prison' with the police stations, high security police stations and security cameras on the streets, the citizens are forced to work as village guards by the state that prevents them from doing border trading or husbandry.
Hakkari Governorship banned entry to 12 districts in Çukurca, Yüksekova and Şemdinli on January 22, stating that these districts are now 'Special Security Zones' until the end of the year. Eight of these districts are within the borders of Çukursa. The city that holds a population of 17 thousand is border neighbors with Federated Kurdistan District. The city that only has one enterance is surrounded by police stations. Every street and avenue of the district, where thousands of soldiers, police and guards are located, are monitored by security cameras (MOBESE).
OPEN PRISON
Rural areas of the district, which resemble an "open prison" due to the blockade, are in a similar situation. While many villages of the district are still banned for "security" reasons, the villages that people can enter are under military control.
The situation which got worse after the July 15 coup attempt and the State of Emergency declared after that, seriously affects the lives of the citizens living there. In Çukurca, where border trade is completely banned, agriculture and animal husbandry, which are among the most important sources of income for citizens, have come to an end when entry to valleys and plateaus was banned. While the number of people migrating from the region increases, the rest are forced to work as village guards and rangers for a living.
The District Co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Abubekir Kanar, who was most negatively affected by all these prohibition and security policies, evaluated the picture in the district.
A METHOD OF THE 90'S: EMBARGO
Stating that the district center alone has 9 military bases, a brigade, a gendermerie and a police headquarter, Kanar said: "They turned the district into a prison. We can't do agricultural work or animal husbandry." Drawing attention to the fact t hat the entries and exits of the district is controlled by the gendermerie, Kanar said a food quota is imposed on those who living in the area. Kanar said: "No one except those who are registered here can enter the area. They can go to Hakkari 2 days a week to meet their needs with a shuttle service. They are asked why they bought so many things if the provisions they bought exceeds the quota."
KURDISH PROBLEM
Underlining that as the Kurdish problem remains unsolved, the security policies deepens, Kanar said these policies are designed to keep the people away from the HDP. Explaining that the ban on border trade aims to force people into being village guards and rangers, Kanar told that the people do not want to be village guards or rangers.