2-Month Curfew Lifted in Bitlis, Another One Declared on the Same Day

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The Governorship of Bitlis has lifted the curfew which it declared in some villages and hamlets of Turkey's eastern province of Bitlis two months ago. However, shortly after this announcement was made, this time, a one-day curfew was declared in the districts of Hizan and Tatvan.

Releasing a statement on its official website, the Governorship previously declared a curfew in 43 villages and hamlets as of 6 a.m. on January 20 on the ground of an operation to be launched in the region.

CLICK - Curfew in 43 Villages and Hamlets in Bitlis

While this curfew was still in effect, another statement was released about the curfew. This time, it was announced that a curfew was declared in the villages of Ağaçpınar and Ayrancılar and their hamlets as of October 28 on the ground that an operation would be conducted.

CLICK - Second Curfew in Bitlis

Both curfews have been lifted as of March 19.

One-day curfew in Hizan and Tatvan

In another statement released by the Governorship of Bitlis on March 19, it was announced that a one-day curfew was declared in 15 villages and their hamlets in the district of Tatvan and in three villages and their hamlets in the district of Hizan until March 21.

All curfews were declared as per the Law no. 5442 on Provincial Administration* on the ground of an operation to be conducted in the region.

As of today (March 22), all curfews in Bitlis have ended.

At least 20 curfews in Bitlis in 3.5 years

According to the figures shared by the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) on January 3, 2019, Diyarbakır has been the province, where the highest number of curfews were declared.

CLICK - 'At Least 351 Curfews Declared in Last 3.5 Years'

Accordingly, in 3 years, 4 months and 16 days from August 16, 2015 to January 3, 2019, at least 20 curfews were declared in Bitlis.

About Bitlis According to data of 2015, the population of the city is 341,225. 64% of the population live in city and 36% in rural areas. The Ministry of Interior appointed Governor Ahmet Çınar as political trustee to Bitlis Municipality in 2016. Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chairs Hüseyin Olan and Nevin Daşdemir Dağkıran were detained on November 24, 2016 and then were arrested on charge of “being a member of a terrorist organization, carrying out actions on behalf of a terrorist organization, aiding and abating a terrorist organization”. Former Bayburt Governor İsmail Ustaoğlu was appointed as mayor on June 21, 2017.

* Law no. 5442 on Provincial Administration, Article 11 - Additional paragraph: "The governor can restrict entries and exits to certain places in the province for 15 days at most for people who are suspected to disturb public order and public security, when the public order is disturbed or serious indications are present to show that it will be disturbed; can regulate or restrict people's wanderings or gatherings in certain places and certain hours and can ban any type of weapon and ammunition from being kept."

(AS/SD)