NEWS CENTER - Satellite photos of the Besta region show that forest areas have been destroyed. Bringing the cut to the judiciary, the land owners said: "The laws do not come into play. The law works differently here. They want to dehumanize Kurdistan."

 

In Şırnak, the trees cutting started in 2019 on the sides of the roads built for the new fortress and military base areas continues. After Judi mountain, the rangers have cut tens of thousands of trees in the Besta region so far for "security" reasons. The villages of Cinîwer (Bilecik), Xerbigê Bestin (Dedeören), Navyan (Güneyçam), Bêlûzer (Küllüce), Şereevan (Şerevan) and Rîsor (Risor), which are banned under the name of "Special Security Zone", as well as in the areas of Kaniyamîr, Birateto, Birapeşo, Deyndarok, Serêrû, Tîkera, Qûrteka Pêşya and Girê Derînce, the cutting of tree still continues.

 

THE PHOTOS OF THE TREES CUTTING

 

The trees, which are cut between one thousand and one thousand 200 tons per day, are then brought to a place close to the city center by tractors and loaded on trucks and juggernauts to be sold. The rangers sell a ton of wood for 1,750 TL if all expenses are their own. While there is still no result from the legal initiatives against the the chopping of trees, how the forest areas were destroyed was reflected in the satellite photos in Google Earth. In some regions, it is seen that thousands of trees have been cut down in the photographs taken until 2020 and in some regions until 2021. However, it is estimated that other forested areas in satellite photographs have been largely cut down in the last year.

 

In two separate satellite photos taken on October 8, 2020 and October 17, 2021, from an area to the northeast of Şırnak Prison, it is seen that a large forest area has been completely destroyed.

 

 

There is a similar situation in the photographs taken on June 18, 2020 and October 17, 2021 from another area in the same region. It is clearly seen that the previously green area has changed color within a year.

 

 

In the photographs of a different area in the Besta region, they reveal the point of the chopping of trees. The cutting of hundreds of trees is reflected in the photos dated August 21, 2019 and October 17, 2021.

 

 

WE REJECTED THEIR OFFERING OF TREES CHOPPING

 

Citizens who own lands in the region and oppose deforestation told the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about the process of the massacre and what happened after it. Zeki İrmez, one of the citizens who opposed the chopping of trees on their lands in the Besta region, stated that they were offered the chopping of trees a few years ago, but they did not accept it. İrmez said: "We said that we would not cut it down. We said it was burned every year anyway. It had stopped for 2-3 years. In 2018, they started to cut the trees in Cudi, and they moved to the Besta region for 2 years. Since 2020-2021, they cut down trees on ereas of Baçuk, Xaykano, Çemê Mezin, Zirvî. Now they have cut trees in Şax and Cinîwer."

 

 

'A GREAT TREES CUTTING IS DONE'

 

Expressing that they wanted to prevent tree cutting by petitioning, İrmez said: "We went to Urfa and submitted our petitions. They sent us back to Şırnak. We talked to the Provincial Directorate. They said that there are situations that are beyond them. They are doing this for security reasons. They are made a tender as a formality. The rangers cut them all down. We didn't want to allow it. But they told us it will be cut whether we allow it or not. They are neither going according to the law nor doing it according to the tender. According to the tender, it is said that 10 tons will be cut, but they are plundering. They are making a great trees cutting. They cut it under the name of 'security', but there is a big rent."

 

THE TREES CUTTING IS RELATED TO KURDISH QUESTION

 

Expressing that they did not accept the money offered to them, Irmez said: "They cut it off, they sent money to our accounts even though we did not want it. We do not withdraw the money. Previously, they evacuated the villages on the grounds of 'security', they massacred so many people. You want to intervene legally, but the court does not go against it on the grounds of 'security'. Laws don't come into play. Just as the state mobilizes all its means and intervenes when forests are cut down or there is a fire in Turkey, it should be done in Kurdistan as well. But in Kurdistan, the state itself does this for 'security' reasons. So the law works differently here. However, the law should operate in the same way everywhere. Tree cutting must be stopped. We have the opportunity to stop it. Our people should also take legal action against it. Democratic actions must be taken. Up to 5 years ago, important actions were taken against the thermal power plant. The same should be done because the tree belongs to everyone. It is the future of our children. Thousands of animals were bred here at the time. Once these trees are cut down, they will no longer be grown. Even though they say they cut it under the name of 'rejuvenation', they also cut young trees."

 

 

THEY CARRIED THE DEFORESTATION TO THE JUDICIARY

 

Bahattin Alkiş, who brought the deforestation on the lands of Şırnak and Siirt's Pervari district to the judiciary, stated that their village is located in the Basyan region and they have lands of approximately 110 thousand decares. Stating that they had to migrate after their village was evacuated, Alkiş said: "Now, our trees are being cut down. It has been cut for about 2 months. When we learned that, we made an objection to the Şırnak Forestry Directorate, the Urfa Regional Directorate of Forestry, the gendarmerie, the governor's office and the Siirt Forestry Directorate. We said that our trees were cut down without our knowledge. We objected. We said that we would not accept the cutting."

 

 

AFTER THE APPLICATION, THE CUTTING OF TREES WAS STOPPED

 

Noting that the cutting of trees was stopped after their application, Alkiş said: "They have cut about 160 tons of trees there. Our applications have not been answered so far. We only know that the cutting was stopped in the region upon our objection. The transportation of the trees cutting was also stopped. The people there want to talk to us to carry them. However, we do not accept it. For the"Security " reasons, they want to build a fortress on the ground. They say that the Van road will be built. They want to cut it down for the police stations. We certainly do not want our trees and nature to be plundered. We also participated in the actions taken against this."

 

 

THEY WANT TO DEHUMANIZE KURDISTAN

 

Drawing attention to the fact that cutting trees is "plundering, rent and massacre", Alkiş made the following call: "We want this plundering of nature to be stopped. We cannot go to the region right now because there is an operation. They say it is a security area, a war zone. It is forbidden to judges, landowners and civilians. They do it to dehumanize Kurdistan. They want to leave it without trees."

 

MA / Azad Altay - Ahmet Kanbal