This article was posted on ANF News on February 12, 2016.
While people trapped in basements are being massacred by state forces in Cizre town of Şırnak, dozens of corpses have been taken to hospital and no news is received from many others facing a threat of imminent execution.
Out of the 134 people known to be stuck in basements-94 in Cudi and 45 in Sur neighborhood-, 66 have been verified massacred in basements so far.
1ST BASEMENT: NO NEWS FROM 15 WOUNDED AND 9 OTHER PEOPLE
It has been 19 days since a total of 31 people sheltered in the basement of a building on Bostancı Street of Cudi neighborhood were targeted by attacks of state forces. While 7 among them died in the basement due to ongoing denial of medical access, no news has been received from the 15 wounded and 9 exhausted people here for 11 days now.
In addition to the obstruction of volunteer medics into the town to rescue the trapped, ambulances of Cizre Municipality were also denied access to the scene for days on alleged grounds of “clashes” in the area. HDP officials’ talks with the Ministry of Justice for the retrieval of casualties also remained inconclusive. The building had collapsed on the basement when last contact with the trapped people was established 11 days ago. There was no food or water, nor any means to dress the wounds. The basement, known as the “basement of atrocity” has kind of become a grave for 15 wounded and 9 other exhausted people.
2ND BASEMENT: 39 OF 62 PEOPLE MASSACRED, NO NEWS FROM 23 OTHERS
The building on Narin Street of Cudi neighborhood where 62 people had taken shelter was also targeted by state forces with tank strikes. A fire started by attacks on the top floors of the building bounced to the basement where people were sheltered, as a result of which 9 heavily wounded people burned to death. In addition, 16-year-old Abdullah Gün was shot dead by state forces after he went out of the basement for a while.
In the evening of 7 February, Turkish military and forces conducted an offensive on the building. State-run TV channel TRT reported a breaking news asserting that “some 60 terrorists were neutralized” in the operation. This was followed by the withdrawal of the report and announcement of different figures by government officials in an attempt to cover up the scale of the massacre. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu refuted the TRT report, saying they relied on the statement by Şırnak Governorate which said “10 people were killed”.
Yesterday evening, two ambulances of Cizre Municipality were allowed access to the scene for the retrieval of casualties, after which 27 burnt and fragmented corpses were transported to Cizre State Hospital. While 12 more corpses have been found at the scene and taken to hospital today, the fate of 23 others known to be trapped in the building remains unknown.
According to HDP Şırnak deputy Faysal Sarıyıldız, there were a total of 10 slain and 52 injured people in the basement when they last reached the people there. He said they suspected all those here had been killed in the massacre.
3RD BASEMENT: 20 BURNED TO DEATH, NO NEWS FROM 25 OTHERS
It came out today that there were 45 other people stuck in another building in Sur neighborhood. Tank strikes by Turkish military caused the collapse of the top floors, after which police forces entered the building and set fire to the basement by using oil, as a result of which 20 people here burned to death. 25 others are facing a threat of imminent execution.
Derya Koç, former co-chair of HDP Milas district branch, who is among those trapped in the mentioned building, told on phone earlier today that ongoing artillery strikes by state forces have started to demolish the building which has left the people inside under ruins. She stated that police fired tear gas into the building and they therefore cannot breathe even.
Having a difficulty in speaking due to the tear gas, Koç reported that one of the wounded who suffered burns is in extremely serious condition, while some others are also in a critial condition and cannot find any material to stop the bleeding.
“We can’t breathe. Many of the people here have suffered injuries in their arms and legs. One of the wounded has lost an eye. Those with severe wounds will die if they do not receive urgent medical attention”, she added.
