In reference to a reported attack against sixteen Kurdish hazelnut workers in Turkey, the Sakarya Governorate denied the nature of the incident, even as the workers stated that the gendarmerie had asked them for their location where they had been attacked.
The farm workers had travelled from Mardin to Sakarya to collect hazelnuts. They were attacked by their employers and residents from Sakarya.
The Sakarya Governorate issued a statement denying the incident had taken place even after images of the attack against the Kurdish workers in Sakarya were published in news outlets and shared on social media. The Governorship claimed that the incident was not in Sakarya but took place in Kocaali on 22 August, and it stated that no complaints had been made about the incident to the gendarmerie in Sakarya.
However, contrary to this statement, the workers who were contacted by Mesopotamia Agency (MA) stated that the incident took place today, and they promised to send further details as soon as they could charge their mobile phones.
Dündar: Workers are worried
HDP Mardin MP, Pero Dündar, also met with the workers. He stated that many had injuries. The incident certainly took place today, he confirmed, contrary to the statement issued by the Sakarya Governorship. Dündar was unequivocal about this: “The workers I interviewed said that the statement of the governorship was a lie. They called the gendarmerie about this and they wanted their location where the incident took place”.
The workers stated that they had to leave the village without waiting for the gendarmerie, because they were in fear of their lives. They had seen villagers gathering to attack them.
