UPDATED – Three Kurdish villagers, including Kerem Avras who was reportedly tortured during his apprehension by the soldiers, were remanded in custody on Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish Bitlis (Bedlîs) province in southeast Turkey. They were detained on 10 August as part of a military operation that has been ongoing for a month. The incident has ignited concerns regarding alleged human rights violations and heightened awareness of considerable environmental damage.
Hüseyin Olan, pro-Kurdish Green Left Party MP for Bitlis, made an announcement about the villagers on social media, expressing his dismay at the arbitrary nature of the incarcerations.
While the three villagers remanded in custody were accused of “aiding a terrorist organisation,” five others, namely Hikmet Tedbirli, Necip Tedbirli, Veli Çelik, Heybet Çelik, and Serkan İpek, were released under judicial control. The whereabouts of Fetullah and Ekrem Avras, who have been unaccounted for since the day of the operation, remain unknown.
Lawyer Berfin Ozan spoke to bianet on Monday, revealing that soldiers had tortured Kerem Avras during his arrest. She recounted, “The soldiers beat him in the village. On 11 August, the hospital they took him to refused to issue a report documenting the beating.” Ozan later visited Avras on 12 August, observing that he had difficulty walking and visible bruises on his face. “We sent him back to the hospital and obtained a report confirming the beating. He has two cracked ribs on his left side,” she explained.
Journalist Medine Mamedoğlu reported for Medya Haber TV that although soldiers withdrew from the village on Tuesday, they were still observed in the mountainous areas nearby. She added that a delegation, including Green Left Bitlis and Van MPs Hüseyin Olan and Mahmut Dindar, planned to visit the village today to meet with the families of the detained villagers as well as those who were released.
The situation in Bitlis extends beyond the imprisonment of the three villagers, shedding light on broader issues of environmental damage and forced migration. In a previous parliamentary question directed at the Minister for the Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change and dated 18 July, the Bitlis MP highlighted the detrimental impact of the ongoing military operation on the environment and the local population.
According to Olan’s observations, the actions of the security forces have led to the destruction of large numbers of fruit and nut trees in the region. Additionally, heavy machinery was used to create roads through privately owned farms and gardens, causing extensive damage to an area approximately 3-4 kilometres by 25 metres.
“These practices, carried out under the pretext of security, are unlawful,” Olan warned. “A significant ecological disaster is unfolding in the region, and farmers with no other means of livelihood are indirectly being forced to migrate. This practice must end immediately.”
Olan’s parliamentary question also sought answers from the minister regarding the resolution of farmers’ grievances, the restoration of the area destroyed, the protection of the region’s natural life, and support for villagers forced to migrate as a result of military actions.
