DİYARBAKIR - Speaking about the driving of 13 young people to suicide in a year in Silvan, CHP Diyarbakır Provincial Chairperson Gönül Özel stated that there is no employment area in Diyarbakır, especially in Silvan, and that the lists are prepared in advance in existing business areas.

 

The Republican People's Party (CHP) prepared a report by visiting the families of young people who committed suicide in Diyarbakır's Silvan district in November. These deaths, which were seen as suspicious, aroused concerns by the Civil Society Organizations (NGOs), the People's Democratic Party (HDP) and the CHP.

In Silvan in September and October 2020, Berat Yalçın, (18), Zehra Eken (18), Ferhat Yavuz, (18), Ahmet Kırıcı (26), İmam Kılıç (18), Cennet Ortaç (23) and Dindar Gür (26), 7 people were driven to suicide.

 

Thereupon, a delegation including CHP Vice Chairperson for Human Rights Gülizar Biçer Karaca and Diyarbakır Provincial Chairperson Gönül Özel went to Silvan to investigate the suicide cases.

 

‘Young people look to the future without hope’

 

Gönül, who was in the CHP delegation and went to Silvan, touched on what happened, after seven people in Silvan and six more people ended their lives. Stating that young people who committed suicide met with their families, Gönül said: “Our impression was this; Young people look to the future without hope. Many of them have lost hope. We estimate that there is pressure due to the economic hardship. Of course, the families did not express these pressures much, these are the information we have obtained from the around.”

 

‘Money has been offered to the family’

 

Gönül stated that a 26-year-old young man, who was experiencing financial difficulties, took the guard exam and won with a degree, but many of those who came after him were taken to the job. Gönül noted that the young man's father also went to many places but could not get any results. Gönül said: “The reason is that the knife that the young person chopped fruit on social media long ago was yellow, red and green. Then the man committed suicide. Of course, an even more interesting aspect of this has emerged as we researched it. AKP's district governor and the chair of the Association of Mukhtars and the people there told the father that if Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu played with our honor, he would give him money. Thereupon, the father shared a video saying; "We are not hungry, Kılıçdaroğlu played with our honor". Now the father went to the CHP Silvan district building and said that he was offered money and that the money was not given.”

 

‘Youths commit suicide because there are no job opportunities’

 

“Another young man is trying to make a living by working as a porter,” Gönül stated. “When we went to visit, we saw how uninhabitable the house was. The father cannot find a job. He either earns 50TRY a day or not. Because of this, the young man committed suicide. So, we can say that all the stories are more painful than the other. In addition, for example, in Silvan, the list goes to Turkish Employment Agency (İŞ-KUR) through the District Governorship and district chair of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) for recruitment,” she said.

 

‘Factories were closed, employees were unemployed’

 

Stating that there is no employment area in Diyarbakır, especially in Silvan, Gönül said: “The economy in Diyarbakır is very bad because everything is about consumption. There is no factory, there are a few factories in the organized industry. That is not enough for the population of Diyarbakır as a whole. There is only income from construction, and the moment the construction stops, the economy of Diyarbakır collapses. For example, a cement factory can be built in Karacadağ and basalt stones can be evaluated. Silk farming in Kulp can be activated. The Tekel factory was closed. The weaving mill was closed. All of the employees working here were unemployed.”

 

‘Unfortunately the system is broken everywhere’

 

Referring to the economic conditions of Diyarbakır, Gönül said: “People in Diyarbakır are going to Adana to collect vegetables in Mersin and to collect hazelnuts in Ordu. Most of them are not treated humanely where they go. Most of them are in a traffic accident, die or get injured. Unfortunately, the system is broken everywhere.”

 

The names of the young people who committed suicide in Silvan are as follows: Yusuf Uyanık (28), Berat Yalçın (18), Zehra Eken (18), Ferhat Yavuz (18), Ahmet Kırıcı (26), Imam Kılıç (18), Cennet Ortaç (23), Dindar Gür (26), Şaban Simpil (23), Ozan Tanis (32), Ronayi Çerkezoğlu (17), Süleyman Hasoğlu (27), Sedanur Kaplan (18).