The soldiers first destroyed all the gravestones between 8 and 13 December and removed the cemetery sign. After the images were made public, the Bitlis Governor's Office banned entry to and exit from the village. Between 14 and 17 December, all the graves were opened, and it was revealed that the bodies had been taken to an unknown location. The mosque and academy building constructed within the cemetery, which was established in August 2013, were also demolished. The gravestones of the cemetery, which were demolished with construction machinery, were loaded onto trucks and taken to an unknown location. 

 

ONLY 30 BODIES WERE RECOVERED

 

For 15 days, no information was provided about where the bodies had been taken, but on 2 January 2018, the Bitlis Governor's Office issued a statement saying that the bodies had been taken to the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) for identification purposes. Some time later, it emerged that the bodies had been kept at the ATK for a while before being buried under the pavement at the Kilyos Cemetery in Istanbul. As a result, many families travelled to Istanbul to provide blood samples. Some families travelled to Istanbul several times to request the bodies, which were eventually handed over. So far, nearly 30 bodies have been returned to their families, while the fate of 230 bodies remains unknown. 

 

VISITED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 8 YEARS

 

The Garzan Cemetery, which left a painful mark on the memory of the Kurds, and the entry-exit ban imposed on the area since 17 December 2017 are still in effect today. For the first time since that date, the Mezopotamya Agency (MA) visited the area and filmed both the villages and the condition of the cemetery. An army observation tower stands out right next to the cemetery, while the gravestones have been completely destroyed. The area where the graves are located is completely covered with weeds, and the debris from the destroyed graves is still there. Even the remains of the academy building and mosque that were previously built inside the cemetery have been left behind. A large part of the walls built around the graves have been completely destroyed. The path and damage caused by the construction machinery entering the cemetery are also visible. Villagers say that even in areas close to the cemetery, vehicles and people are still prohibited from entering. 

 

FOOD RATIONS, PROHIBITIONS, PRESSURE AND OPERATIONS 

 

People can still enter the villages where the cemetery is located with their identity cards. No one whose residence is not there is allowed to enter, and in 2023, even the wife of a villager who was not officially married was not allowed into the village. During this process, many restrictions were imposed on the villagers, the most significant of which was the imposition of a food quota. Villages where the amount of food a family is entitled to receive based on population is determined by soldiers have been subjected to constant operations. Hundreds of villagers were detained in house raids and operations carried out between 2018 and 2024, and most of them were arrested. In 2023 alone, more than 400 people were detained from villages in the Garzan region, most of whom are still in custody. 

 

VILLAGES UNDER 24-HOUR SURVEILLANCE

 

Currently, almost all of the highlands in Geliyê Şêx Cûma, where these villages are located, are completely off-limits. Military observation towers have been built on almost all hills, mountains, and even inside the villages, and the villages are monitored 24 hours a day by both the towers and camera traps. Another notable point is the installation of high-voltage electricity poles within the cemetery. 

 

In this region under heavy embargo and restrictions, the people are effectively trapped. Citizens are hoping that these restrictions will be lifted as the process unfolds.

 

MA / Adnan Bilen