The situation is much quieter now after 4 years and life has turned to normal, as normal as it gets in the Kurdish neighborhoods in Turkey. However, the government clampdown has not been lifted
The longest curfew in the world is still in effect in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakır, Turkey.
Turkish government declared the curfew in this city back in 2015. December 2nd to be exact. Although the curfew has been lifted in some areas, certain neighborhoods like Sur is still under government clampdown.
Originally the government used the curfew to quiet the protests and the resistance of the people when the special forces, the police, the army and the militant jihadists working alongside the Turkish government forces attacked the Kurdish areas. Heavy clashes ensued when Turkish army hit its own civilian and mostly unarmed people with tanks, grenades and heavy artillery as well as machine guns and sharp shooters.
To stop being terrorized by the Turkish state the Kurdish militia living in the area dug up trenches for protection against Turkey’s armed and armored vehicles. Many children and old women were murdered with fire from armed forces.
The situation is much quieter now after 4 years and life has turned to normal, as normal as it gets in the Kurdish neighborhoods in Turkey. However, the government clampdown has not been lifted.
After the initial clashes, the government imposed a program on the oldest, historic neighborhood of Diyarbakır. With the government pressure and forced clashes, many people had no choice but to abandon their homes and seek refuge in the homes of their relatives elsewhere or leave temporarily until things calmed down.
The new program is a forced urban renewal program that “modernizes” old buildings and structures. However, this becomes a boondoggle for those construction companies that are friendly with the government. The contracts are given to those who support the governing AKP party.
The curfew allows the government to rule the neighborhood with an iron fist and simply confiscate the occupants’ homes.
In a report and official demand for explanation the opposition HDP party brought this forced confiscation issue to the National Assembly. The questions asked to the government illustrates the way the homes and land in the Sur neighborhoods are being used by the government.
The most common complaint seems to be when the government has confiscated the property and paid the price it deemed appropriate. However, now the properties will be sold and with a much higher price than what the owners received. So, who gets the difference? People who were forced out or the government that confiscated the property?
New buildings are rising up on where the confiscated properties used to be. The new homes most probably will not be given or sold to the original owners but will be sold in favorable conditions to those close to the government.
Those who did not agree to give up are not sure if they will ever get their homes back or the new properties built on their land since they were not given even a chance to argue.
Using the curfew and the excuse of “fighting terrorism” the Turkish government is heavily into real estate deals and making a buck on forced house flipping.
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