Despite all the petitions, tree felling has continued systematically in Besta, Gabar, Cûdî and surrounding villages in Şırnak (Şirnex). While villagers’ land is being cut under the supervision of soldiers and with provincial approval, without the owners being informed, those who react or try to stop the cutting are threatened by the village guards.
As a result of the felling operations launched with the governor’s permission and ongoing for years, 14 percent of the city’s forest cover has been lost, while the guards who cut and sell the timber have become wealthy.
The deforestation is clearly visible in satellite images, and the guards, who continue felling both young and old trees, have now even started to move onto villagers’ orchards. In the culling that began in Besta, orchards in villages that were evacuated and burned about 30 years ago because of forced village guard recruitment have begun to be cut by the guards. Villagers who plant or harvest walnuts in the gardens they visit once or twice a year because of bans reacted to the cutting carried out without their knowledge.
Villager Abdulmenaf Bayık, objecting to the cutting of the gardens they have worked for years without any permit or notification, said: “When we tried to stop them they threatened us with their guns.”
They entered my orchard without notice and cut down trees
Bayık said that the felling, which has been going on in Besta for nearly two years, has now reached his garden and wooded land. He drew attention to the fact that the lands inherited from his grandfather are being plundered by village guards who say “This is our land,” and that the cutting continues.
He added: “Not only ours, they did this to the land of many villagers in the area. Our village and lands are in Besta. When we learned about the cutting, we went to the area. While we are constantly forbidden to enter the restricted zone, those who cut the trees and the guards can enter very easily. They started cutting the trees in our orchard without our permission. For years, however difficult, we tried to go to that orchard and produce. Now they are trying to take even that away from us.”
They threatened us with weapons
Describing how they encountered guards transporting trees on a tractor when they went with other villagers, Bayık recounted the exchange: “When we arrived they had already started cutting. When we asked, they said ‘The governor gave permission’; but when we went and asked the governor’s office they said ‘I have nothing to do with it.’ When we told them to stop the cutting and said this is our land, they replied, ‘It’s none of our business, we’ll cut it, get out of here.’ We did not leave and continued to talk. When we protested the situation, the guards directly put their hands on their guns and threatened us with weapons, saying ‘Get out of here.’ They didn’t even let us speak about our own land. They cut down our trees, sell them, and pocket the money. This is neither humane nor conscientious.”
This lawlessness must end
Bayık said the ongoing cutting in the city is causing great harm to villagers and livestock owners, and stressed that he will continue to defend his orchard and make his voice heard: “Every day trucks loaded with cut trees pass in front of my house. Here, villagers can’t even find water or a single tree, yet tons of trees are cut every day. It pains us to see this. The governor’s office, by issuing bans, facilitates and paves the way for this cutting. These operations bring us no benefit. This lawlessness and injustice must end. If they continue like this, they will not leave a single tree.”