Amed Chamber of Architects board member Melik Aslan criticized AKP’s occupation plan for Sur and said, “Once they legitimize the demolition, they will force the people to accept TOKİ’s ‘freak’ houses.” Aslan stated that the goal is to turn Sur into an isolated area.

The occupation-like “urgent expropriation” put in motion in Sur and Silopi, both of which have been destroyed and burned through the AKP state’s war policies, creates another level of suffering for the people. The isolation practices under way under the name of “urgent expropriation” in both districts, where work on outposts and police centers has already started, will be turning the whole region into open prisons.

Amed Chamber of Architects board member Melik Aslan assessed the AKP’s occupation plan for ANF.

“SEVERAL AREAS ARE SEIZED”

Amed Chamber of Architects board member Aslan stated the law implemented in Sur is an “urgent seizure” law and went on saying: “There is a great difference between expropriation and ‘urgent expropriation’. In expropriation, it is possible to seize the assets after the legal process. But in ‘urgent expropriation’, the seizing of the assets comes first, then the legal process is handled. Under normal circumstances, the goal of ‘expropriation’ is to provide the people with comfortable living spaces but today it is being used to depopulate the areas covered in the state policies. In this framework, several areas, including places of worship, the plots belonging to foundations and even private hotels are being seized under the name of ‘urgent expropriation’.”

“PEOPLE ARE IGNORED”

Aslan said, “The AKP state is ignoring the people and expropriating the districts, in a type of a civil coup d’etat.” and continued: “The urgent expropriation is carried out without any input from any institutions or municipalities, it is completely run under government policies. The ‘urgent expropriations’ result in semi-open prisons is already present in the city for the people of Amed, and not outdoor museums like Toledo as the Prime Minister Davutoğlu claims. The first step in building these prisons is the ‘wall of shame’ built around Sur with concrete slabs. The only purpose of this wall is to keep people from getting in touch with their houses, streets, avenues and their memories and therefore turn Sur into an isolated area.”

“THE GOAL IS TO FORCE PEOPLE TO ACCEPT TOKİ”

Aslan mentioned that along with Sur Municipality’s service building, historic buildings including Surp Giragos Armenian Church (largest church in the Middle East), Surp Sarkis Chaldean Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, Assyrian Church of Mother Mary, the Protestant Church, Ulu Mosque, Şeyh Muttahar Mosque, Kurşunlu Mosque, The Four Pillared Minaret, House of the Dengbêj, Cemil Paşa Manor are being seized and stated that “The only reason for all this pain and suffering is to legitimize the destruction the state caused. After the destruction is legitimized, they will force the people to accept these ‘freak’ houses called TOKİ.”

Amed Chamber of Architects board member Melik Aslan stated that the AKP state is legitimizing war in one hand and pouring history to the banks of the Dicle river under the name of “rubble”, using diggers that belong to the State Hydraulic Works Institution and the State Highways Institution. He said, “They destroyed our towns, burned our culture, threw away our history as rubble but they can’t erase our memories on these stones.”