DIYARBAKIR

After Onnik Dinkjian’s concert with his son Ara Dinkjian on October 24, Silva Özyerli told the journey that she went on with the songs of Onnik Dinkjian, who is also from Diyarbakir like her.

Following the Suruç Massacre, and the murder of two police officers in Ceylanpınar, military operations and clashes have resumed. A wave of police operations across Turkey continues. İHD (Human Rights Association) has announced that 41 people lost their lives in the week from 21 to 28 July, and that 1038 people have been detained. Reports of deaths continue to come in every day. President Erdoğan’s demand that the HDP MPs’ parliamentary immunity be lifted has caused further alarm. Human rights organizations and civil society organizations have expressed deep concern regarding recent developments.

The tension in Diyarbakır has increased once again following first the bombings at a HDP rally, and then the murder of 4 people. Helsinki Citizens Assembly Member Nalan Erkem and Mazlumder Diyarbakır Board Member Reha Ruhavioğlu, who were in the commission that visited the city for observations, have recounted the situation in the city. According to eyewitnesses, a jihadist streak has become more prominent in the region for months, and although everyone including the police has been aware of this, no one has acted to prevent the events.

2 people are reported dead following a double explosion at the HDP’s Diyarbakır rally. HDP Co-Chairperson Selahattin Demirtaş repeated his call for calm and peace as in previous attacks targeting the party: “We will win, peace will win. I congratulate your resolve.”

The 100th Anniversary End to Denial Initiative has announced its Genocide Commemoration Program for Istanbul and Diyarbakır.

Following the land dispute involving the plot on which Diyarbakır Airport today stands, the land plot on which Batman Airport stands has also become the subject of a lawsuit. Zuart Sudjian has filed a case claiming that the State had built an airport on the plot she had inherited. Sudjian’s land in nearby Diyarbakır had also been appropriated by the State, and the Diyarbakır Airport was built on a part of her plot.

Frederike Geerdink, the only foreign journalist based in Diyarbakır and known for her comprehensive research and articles on the Kurdish issue, was detained today by an Anti-Terror Squad that raided her home. Geerdink was later released after providing a statement.

Zuart Sudjian wages formidable legal battle for the return of land that belongs to her family, unlawfully seized by the State and site of Diyarbakır Airport today