Brief Investigative Report on the Incidents Took Place in Beytussebap on 25-09-2015
INCIDENT
In the conflicts that started in the morning at 05.00 on 25.09.2015 in the city center that lasted till 12.00, it was possible to hear the gun shots at times and more than 10 houses were hit by howitzer. 5 houses were burnt down till the moment they became non-utizableand 10 houses were hit by howitzer. 3 people have lost their lives and 2 people were severely wounded in the village Setkar in a house hit by a howitzer dropped by the Gendarmerie District Commandership. Ahmet Temel, his son Behçet Temel, whose house was hit by a howitzer, and their relative Alya Temel have lost their lives while Fevzi Temel and Ahmet Temel’s son Hasan Temel were severely wounded. The driver of the ambulancedemanded by Emergency 112 and the administration of the hospital, named Şeyhmus Dursun lost his life as the ambulance was raked while it was 15-20 meters away from the police spot.
We set off heading to Beytüşşebap to investigate the incidents there forming a committee after hearing that there had been armed conflicts in the district Beytüşşebap in Şırnak from social media on 25.09.2015.
Formation of the Committee and its Goal
İHD Şırnak Branch and and SES Şırnak Branch aimed to identify the harm the people were exposed to around the district and report the deaths and the cases of the wounded during the armed conflicts in Beytüşşebap. Human Rights Association (İHD) has aimed to report the difficult conditions that the civilians living in Beytüşşebap were exposed to wholesomely as it always did. In addition, the treatment that the health workers received was unjust and acting with solidarity with the Health Workers was aimed no matter of the work place and conditions and the distances. With these aims, Beytüşşebap became the destination of the committee on 26/09/2015.
NGO Members and Executives within the Committee
Chairman of İHD Şırnak Branch Emirhan UYSAL
Member of Board of Directors İHD Şırnak Branch Mucip ERDEM
Co-Chairman of SES Şırnak Branch Lezgin GÖZLEK
Member of Board of Directors SES Şırnak Branch Selahattin BARINÇ
Representative of TARIM ORKAM-SEN Metin ÖZKAN
Dead Civilians
Ahmet Temel
Behçet Temel
Alya Temel
Şeyhmus Dursun
Wounded Civilians
Fevzi Temel
Hasan Temel
Additionally, many people who were prevented from receiving a treatment despite coming to Beytüşşebap State Hospital as it can be understood from the detailed statements below.
Interviews of the Committee and Findings
- Our committee had interviews with the employees of Beytüşşebap State Hospital, which is located on the entrance to the district.
- The owners of the damaged houses have been interviewed and their statements have been reported.
- Our committee have visited the damaged houses in the district and made observations.
- No information could be received about the deaths and the casualties from police forces as interviews with the administrative units were not possible due to the atmosphere of conflicts.
- It has been found that there was a crowd in from of the state hospital in the entrance of the district, formed by the people who had their casualties and victims there.
- On the ceiling of the corridor in Beytüşşebap State Hospital and on the windows at the end of the corridor, there were bullet traces from inside to outside. They have been observed and photographed.
- It has been observed that the doors inside the hospital were broke down by kicking and they have been made completely useless, which has been photographed.
- It has been observed that the angles of the security cameras had been misadjusted.
- It has been observed that the security camera device and the computer box it was connected to had been seizured and taken away.
- It has been found that the hospital staff had been treated badly and and they suffered from insults and curse words.
- It has been observed that the forces tried to hide the violation of rights and the crimes committed and also wanted the proofs remain in shadow.
- It has been found that the ambulance has been removed by the forces before the crime scene investigation was conducted.
- From the fact that the ambulance was at a spot 10–15 meters away from the police spot, it has been observed that only the police spot could be seen when viewed from the places hit by the bullets.
- It has been found that all of the vehicles that were on the main streets and on the streets were raked and rendered unoperational.
- It has been observed that the town hall was raked and all its windows were broken and the office equipments were rendered unoperational.
- It has been found that even interventions in the fires that broke out were also prevented by the gun shots of the forces in the city center and there were harassing fires and barrages by the forces used against the people who were trying to extinguish the fire.
- It has been observed that the electricity transformers were blown up and the wires were torn off.
- It has been observed that the police station and all of the houses across the police spot had been raked and damaged severely.
- It has been found that the houses on the streets that were not possible to enter were also damaged by howitzers.
- It has been found that on most of the high building, snipers were located.
- On the moment when we were passing by to investigate in the streets, it has been observed that many of the special operation police teams were white-haired and above the age 50.
- A howitzer was observed unexploded in the roof of a house while wandering in the neighborhoods.
- It has been observed that heavy construction equipments belonging to the municipality were rake and rendered unoperational.
- It has been found that public life was unoperational to a large extent.
- It has been observed that the district governorship building was closed.
- It has been observed that the town hall was unusable and the staff were tidying inside.
- Our commission condemns the attacks that cause severe violations, the first of which is the violation of the right to live, and target at the civilians regardless of the causes of the incidents and how they happened.
- Our commission suggests that administrative and legal investigations regarding the practices of the security forces that threatened the security of life and property of the civilians should start immediately and the staff and the chiefs concerned should be laid at the end of these investigations.
- In the findings of the commission, it has been indisputably observed that health institutions, staff, vehicles and equipments that are not even supposed to be affected during the time of a way has been affected and disincentives shall be taken while also effectively investigating about the responsibles.
- Our commission demands that effective investigations take place about the people responsible for the death of the health staff and the civilians and legal and administrative proceedings be conducted about those.
- Our commission observed that spoliation of evidence has been conducted to vanish the crimes committed by the police forces and this has been reported by our commission and the facts should be revealed with the required investigations.
- In the observations and investigations of our committee, it has been observed that great damage occurred to the houses of the people. In consequence of the operation, law 35 of the Constitution has been violated by severely damaging the properties of the people. The damage done to the rights of property of the people shall be compensated within this scope. The Governorate of Şırnak form a damage and loss determination commission and compensate for the pecuniary and non-pecuniary victimizations of the civilians.
- Our commission regards the cuts in electricity, water and mobile network as a limitation brought to the communication rights of the people and a violation. The commission demands that which institution and for what reasons these cuts had been conducted and how this concerned institution used its power of appointment shall be expressed to the public opinion
- Our Commission has confirmed that the garbages in the neighborhoods where we carried out investigation could also cause probable health problems. Our Commission advises to listen witness statements stating that the garbages could not been collected for security and operation reasons.
- Our Commission draws the attention of rise in violations against right to life which have happened generally together with clashes. For this reason, we appeal to the election government to give up its security policies and call the parties to come back to dialog and negotiations as immediate as possible.