Nomad family tortured and detained amid military operation in Silvan

A Kurdish nomad family was detained and mistreated by the Turkish soldiers on the fringes of an operation in Amed’s Silvan district.

In the rural area of Silvan district in Amed (Diyarbakır), a nomad family was forcibly detained by the Turkish military. At least five members of the family, aged between nine and forty-five, were taken into custody by the Turkish forces on suspicion of "terror" and taken to the gendarmerie station in Silvan. While the 9-year-old child has been placed in the care of relatives, the adults, including a woman, will reportedly be transferred to the gendarmerie command in Amed after a compulsory health check.

The incident took place on Saturday in the village of Bameydan (Yuva), east of the centre of Silvan, after fighting between the guerrillas and the Turkish army, according to reports. According to unconfirmed reports, three guerrillas lost their lives during the confrontation.

After the clashes, the Turkish army launched a military operation in Bameydan, and the area was completely sealed off. The area of operation also includes the area where the Kurdish nomad family, originally from the province of Batman, had pitched their tent. Hardly anything is left of the tent, as it was burnt down. However, it is still unclear whether it went up in flames during the fighting or was set on fire by soldiers afterwards.

Several social media accounts suspected of being close to the Turkish army circulated photos showing two men stripped down to their pants and lying next to an armoured vehicle with their hands tied behind their backs. According to the Batman branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD), a relative identified them as members of the nomad family and filed a complaint of torture.