“Autonomy means that we will live in our own way, with our own rules, our own culture and our own identity. I support this from my heart.” – Narin, resident of Farqîn
All images: Kurdish Solidarity Network. All rights reserved.In August 2015, the city of Farqîn (Silvan in Turkish) declared autonomy from the state. Barricades were erected on the streets of three neighbourhoods of the city—Mescit, Tekel and Konak—defended by armed people’s protection teams. The Turkish state responded by using intense violence and imposing a series of curfews, culminating in a 12-day siege of the neighbourhoods in November. An official from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) threatened that “the security forces will erase the three Silvan neighbourhoods from the map”.
On 20 and 21 November 2015, we travelled to Farqîn in solidarity with the residents of the city. The intention of our visit was to document the police and military violence (in contrast to biased reports in the Turkish media, depicting the people of Farqîn as terrorists), to see firsthand the destruction that was caused, and to let our Kurdish friends know that we support them in their struggle for autonomy.
