AMED, NORTHERN KURDISTAN
The AKP-MHP regime attacked the district of Sur on December 2, 2015, and burned and destroyed the settlements in a “Rush Expropriation Decision.” The regime later demanded huge sums of money for the destroyed and rebuilt houses, which they were aware the homeowners could not pay.
According to local sources, the AKP-MHP regime burned down houses and forced thousands of citizens to empty the Sur district. It was learned that state officials demanded money from citizens who wanted to remain, trying to dissuade the people of Sur from Sur.
Sur, knitted with historic communities, had became an icon of resistance after picking up arms against Turkish oppression in Northern Kurdistan.
The fascist AKP-MHP regime took a decision to “ubranize” 82 percent of the historical Sur district. TOKI’s were built on the destroyed homes of the people in the neighborhoods of Hasirli, Savas, Fatihpasa and Cemal Yilmaz. The homes which were not included in the project were burnt to the ground for no apparent reason, and the peoples living in the area were left homeless. The option provided to homeowners was that they “could move somewhere else.”
‘The state did not fulfill any promises made to the people of Sur’
Burned and destroyed by the state, a citizen from Sur stated that thousands of people like them were forced to migrate, especially in the neighborhoods of Alipaşa and Lalebey, and 4 others. Witha hurried decision of Expropriation, the homeowners living in the neighborhood were forcibly removed from their homes. They were promised to be able to return to their homes after the operation had finished, A.D. had stated.
‘The amount of money that landlords cannot pay’
A.D. shared that later the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization demanded a sum of money which they knew that even landlords could not afford.
’Trying to change the demographic structure’
A.D. stated: “We know that the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, which is under the authority of the palace government has not fulfilled any promises which it has made to this day. They’re trying to change the demographic structure of this place. We are aware that they are forcing the people living in Sur to emigrate. They are trying to change the demographic structure by placing civil servants and nationalists from the west. ”
‘We will take our houses back in any way’
Noting that the citizens of Sur are willing to face all difficulties to return to their homes, A.D. said, ”We will not leave our place to anyone. To this day, the pressures made by the state did not intimidate us. We will not take a step back and we will take our houses back in any way.”
Previously, Diyarbakır Chamber of Architects Branch Co-Chair, Şerefhan Aydın, had stated: “Let’s say a house of 200 square meters in Sur is worth 560 thousand TL. The state gave the landlords no more than 70-100 thousand.”
In the past, the former Minister Özhaseki, said in a statement:
“Let the people who live here give their title to the state and leave it to us. We’re going to make historic homes here. We will deduct the price, we will reimburse the landlord and the old house. If he pays us the difference, we will give him a house.”
A.D. commented, “The difference they ask for, they are aware that that the citizen there cannot afford. And this is why they offered to ‘urbanize’ the district. So that the citizen can be permanantly displaced. The income level of the people living there is obvious.”
SOURCE: Lekolin.org
