It came out that 'Yes' voters attacked the Êzidî cemetery in the Zewra village in Urfa's Viranşehir district, where election fraud peaked, during their 'celebration' at the night of Sunday's referendum.

Êzidî Culture Foundation president and sociologist Azad Barış spoke to ANF on the issue and said that graves of eight of his relatives were damaged during the attack. Barış said “Those that did this to our deceased show their mentality, just like ISIS shows its inhumane mentality when it attacks graves and tombs.”

“AKP'S PARAMILITARY FORCES”

Azad Barış stated that unidentified people attacked and demolished the cemetery of Êzidîs in Zewra village in Urfa's Viranşehir district at April 17 night following the announcement of unofficial results of the referendum in which 'Yes' won with narrow 'victory'.

Barış stated that his cousin living in the village called and informed him about the attack, according to which graves of eight of his relatives including his grandfather's were damaged.

Pointing to the intense activity of village guards whom AKP government uses as a paramilitary force in Viranşehir, which come to the fore with massive election fraud, Barış said it was pretty likely that this attack was perpetrated by these people. Describing the attack as a warning towards Êzidîs, who are left in few numbers in Viranşehir, Barış said: “Those who dared to attack the graves of our deceased people have disrespected not only the values of Êzidî community but also the basic values of humanity. Disrespecting and damaging graves has no place in the Anatolian culture. Taking revenge from the dead is backwards and vulgar.”

“ISIS MENTALITY”

Barış stressedthat the attack mislabeled as 'celebration' also shows what policy will be pursued by AKP against the people it marginalizes, adding: “This hatred and destruction has re-emerged in recent years with the Salafist character of ISIS. Those who did this to our deceased show their mentality, just like ISIS shows its inhumane mentality by attacking graves and tombs.”

Barış noted that village guards and AKP supporters are being settled around his village, and said “They attacked our dearest value, this is unacceptable.”

“WE WILL NEVER LEAVE”

Êzidî Culture Foundation president stated that his cousin, whom he mentioned anonymous for security concerns, took photos of the graves and filed a complaint to the Viranşehir Gendarme Center. He noted that the only purpose of the attack is to force all Êzidîs to migrate, and said: “They expelled us from our lands, now it is the turn of our deceased people.”

Evaluating the attack as a manifestation of the Turkish government's and state's recently enhanced policy of attacking cemeteries, Barış added: “There has always been great respect towards graves until today.

Once the government and state escalated its policy of attacks on cemeteries, some people got encouraged and are now doing the same. They should not bother though, as we will never leave our lands.”