218 curfews imposed in last 2 years in Turkey’s east, southeast: Human rights group

ISTANBUL

A total of 218 curfews were imposed in the last two years in Turkey’s east and southeast, statistics gathered by Human Rights Foundation (İHV) showed. 

According to the statistics gathered by the foundation’s documentation center between Aug. 16, 2015 and June 1, at least 218 officially confirmed round-the-clock and open-ended curfews were imposed in 10 provinces and at least 43 districts. 

Turkish authorities often imposed curfews during clashes between the Turkish security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). 

The southeastern province of Diyarbakır topped the list with 127 curfews, followed by the southeastern provinces of Mardin, Hakkari and Şırnak with 32, 20 and 13 curfews respectively. 

Curfews were imposed eight times in Bitlis, three times in Batman, four times in Muş, five times each in Bingöl and Tunceli and once in Elazığ. 

“In terms of right to life, right to health and other fundamental human rights, these curfews affected at least 1,809,000 people when compared to the census carried out in 2014, before the curfews started,” it said.  

The Human Rights Association (İHD) previously released similar statistics, with its co-chair, Öztürk Türkdoğan, saying that there were 100 curfews imposed in Diyarbakır. 

Türkdoğan also said the latest number surpassed the number of curfews imposed between 1987 and 2002, when a state of emergency was in place in the region. 

Another report by the association said 500,000 people were forced to migrate due to the ongoing clashes.