Gülistan Azak 

 

DERSİM - Drawing attention to the fact that forest fires are a part of the ‘depopulate policy’ in the region, MÇD Board Member Sevil Doğan said that they are trying to protect their forests from the state. Instead of intervening, she called on the following officials to resign.

 

After the military operation launched in Amutka, Dereköy and Koçeri regions of Dersim's Hozat district on May 9, the fire in the forest continues. While no action has been taken to put out the fire, the reactions are growing day by day.

Making a statement on the subject after the reactions, the General Directorate of Forestry claimed that ‘the news is untrue’. Although the Tunceli Governorate stated that there were no forest fires in its statement on May 13, it is seen that forest fires in the region have been continuing for 9 days.

 

Sevil Doğan, a board member of Munzur Environment Association (MÇD), made evaluations about the fires.

 

‘It is a policy of depopulate’

 

Pointing out that the fire started as a result of the military operation in the region, Sevil noted that the aim was the depopulate policy. Sevil said: "Those who live in Dersim region and dominate that geography knows that forest fires are not a matter of today. Attacks on the mountain, stone, soil, and people of Dersim date back to 1937-38. Forest fires are just one of the attacks carried out to depopulate Dersim. Village evacuations in 1994, food embargo, forced migrations have now evolved into a different dimension, leaving their place to ‘military banned zones’. The livelihood of the villagers in the Dersim region is plateaus. And very few of these villages can go to the plateaus and ranch, which is their source of income. These are not coincidences or ordinary events. It is a dehumanization policy that the state has systematically implemented from past to present. In essence, forest fires are political."

 

‘They should resign immediately’

 

Regarding the reasons why the authorities did not intervene in forest fires, Sevil said: "They did not even accept the existence of the fire, let alone intervene. We made calls to the authorities through the press and social media, as well as local institutions and individuals. However, the only statement that came from the authorities regarding the fire news and calls to put out the fire that the ‘fire news is untrue’. As Munzur Environment Association, we wanted the region to be owned by creating the tag ‘DersimIsBurningGiveVoice’ on Twitter.

 

‘It is unacceptable for the officials in charge to watch’

 

Upon the rise of this tag to the first rank, the General Directorate of Forestry tried to negate the solidarity and ownership with the statement ‘These are not true, black propaganda’. Tunceli Governorship made a statement parallel to the General Directorate of Forestry and denied the fact of the fire and tried to cover it up. However, the posts in the press and social media consist of daily and instant images taken by the people of the region after the bombing of the area on May 9. We can never claim the existence of something that is not. That attitude cannot belong to us, and it has never been. It is the management approach of the authorities that ban and prevent the people who defend their living spaces by hiding the truth from the public. Wherever in the world, it is a crime not to put it out as well as setting a fire in the forest. It is an unacceptable crime for the state authorities tasked with putting out the fire to watch and they should resign immediately."

 

‘The living spaces of animals are being destroyed’

 

Emphasizing that the forest family was faced with extinction, Sevil pointed out that nature and forests are their owners and that forests host wildlife and creatures living in nature. Sevil said: "We want to live in harmony with nature and its real owners, not touching more than our needs. It is almost unlikely that people will pillage nature and forests to the extreme and destroy living habitats. In this case, those who want to dominate nature and forests are the leaders of plunder and destroying living life together with forests. It is not only forests that are burned in Dersim, but life. It is wildlife! There is a constant effort to establish power over nature, forests, and wildlife. While we oppose the plundering and exploitation of nature for various reasons, we also protect the living spaces of animals and peoples living in nature. We oppose the killing of mountain goats and other animals under the name of hunting, just as we do with forest burning."

 

‘There is no other way but organized opposition’

 

Sevil underlined that the people want to be in an organized resistance against all kinds of attacks on nature, forests, wildlife, and habitats, and noted that in geography like Dersim, the persecution is trying to collapse on the people and nature without breathing. Pointing out that there is no other way to counter this in an organized manner, Sevil said: "During the summer months we are in, the nature of Dersim will be the target of plunder and fires. We must maximize our sensitivity to forest fires. It would be appropriate to remind a word from İkizdere's resistance. They said that the state used to protect the forest and the tree with its forest guards. They added that they had to protect the forest from the state with the pillage that started in İkizdere. The people of Dersim know that we have always had to protect our forest from the state. We will continue to do so."

 

‘Stop burning our forests’

 

 Sevil finally made the following call: "Our call to the authorities is that stop burning our forests. This is a truth that cannot be hidden in the witness of our people. This is the case no matter what one tries to cover it with. In this case, it is pointless to call the Forest Management Directorate, whose sole task is to protect and develop forests, other than reminding them of their duty."