The special war policies that are in effect in the cities of Kurdistan once again reveal how children and women are degraded with the "prostitution gang" file unearthed in Şirnex (Şırnak). The indictment prepared against 25 people, including 3 specialised sergeants and 1 non-commissioned officer, shows concretely how prostitution in the city is spread with women sent from the west. The network created in the city is developed through women brought from the metropolises of Turkey and living here with specialised sergeants.

 

In the indictment prepared against the gang that forced many women, including Rojavan women and children, into prostitution in the city, it was pointed out that İbrahim Tatar, the head of the gang, provided the coordination and security of the organisation and also organised the money and venue needs of the organisation by using his influence.

 

ROJAVAN WOMEN WERE BROUGHT FROM QOSER

 

The indictment states that İbrahim Tatar directed the gang by assigning tasks to his assistant and relative Kenan Tatar, and that İbrahim Tatar and his partner Halim Enüştekin from Melisa Bar brought Rojavan women named F. A., X. Y., T. Y., and J. A. from Qoser (Kızıltepe) district of Mêrdîn (Mardin). It was recorded that Ferhat Dayan, who worked as a driver in the gang, and Ferhat Ok, who worked as a waiter in Melisa Bar, helped in bringing Rojavan women to the city. In their first statements, the Rojavan women stated that they had come to the city to work for Halim Enüştekin, whom they knew as "Halim", and that they did not know where or what they would work for. However, it was seen in the indictment that Rojavan women were not interviewed during the investigation process.

 

CHILD RAPE AND PROSTITUTION

 

The indictment also included how two children were forced into prostitution. It was revealed that S.B., who was forced into prostitution even during the investigation phase, was raped by a person named Mehmet Salih Sakın 6 months before the indictment (5 November 2013). The statements of the child who filed a complaint were also included in the indictment. It was also stated in the indictment that H.B., another child who was forced into prostitution, ran away from the dormitory where she was staying and stayed at the house of Ayşe Yeren, the gang manager, and was forced into prostitution during this period.

 

The indictment also states that Kenan Tatar, one of the perpetrators, raped S.B. and H.B. and forced them into prostitution, and that Tatar acted with Birsen Ateş, Meral Akın and Remzi Yarar. In the indictment, it is stated that Tatar used influential people he had with him to bring and take women from out of the city for prostitution, but the identity of these influential people is not mentioned. It is estimated that these people may be the ranking soldiers in the city.

 

PHONE TAPS

 

According to the indictment, Kenan Tatar wanted to have sex with the aunt of S.B., one of the children he raped and forced into prostitution, and asked her to be brought to the city. In the tapes in the indictment, it is seen that Kenan Tatar said to S.B. "Bring someone with you when you come", and when S.B. asked "Who?", Tatar said "Your aunt".

 

The indictment stated that Kenan Tatar systematically raped and prostituted S.B. by threatening her, and that Tatar, who earned money in return for prostitution, threatened to tell her father and insulted her if she did not prostitute herself.

 

SPECIALISED SERGEANT SUICIDE

 

The indictment states that Ayşe Yeren, code-named "Dila", had a relationship with Turgay Koç, a specialised sergeant serving in the city, and that she gave the money she earned to Koç, which caused a problem between İbrahim Tatar and Turgay Koç. The indictment claimed that Koç committed suicide due to the escalation of the problem and Kenan Tatar's threats to inform Koç's family about the incident and to publish the recordings of his conversations with Ayşe Yeren.

 

According to the indictment, Ayşe Yeren and Meral Akın forced children named H. B. and S.B. to prostitution.

 

SOLDIER ROLE IN PROSTITUTION NETWORK

 

The indictment states that Meral Akın, nicknamed "Sevgi", who is listed in the indictment as "gang manager", also brought women from other cities for prostitution with specialist sergeant Hüseyin Şahin, and states that Meral Akın "(....) brought women from outside the province to be used in prostitution, established a relationship with Hüseyin Şahin, Ertaç Kaya, Mustafa Yalçın, who are military personnel in Şırnak, in order to avoid any problems on the road route and to pass the road controls easily, and ensured that the persons accompanied them (...)".

 

The indictment points out that Meral Akın brought women from cities such as Adana, Ankara and Amed (Diyarbakır) to Şirnex and that Birsen Ateş, nicknamed "Esin", liaised with taxi drivers who undertook transport in the prostitution network.

 

The indictment stated that Birsen Ateş gave some of the money obtained from prostitution to Kenan Tatar as commission, and that taxi driver Remzi Yarar mediated the rape of children and prostitution of women and used his commercial taxi for prostitution. The indictment stated that Yarar allocated his commercial taxi to the rape of children by specialised sergeants.

 

MONEY FLOWS BETWEEN SOLDIERS AND GANGS

 

The indictment draws attention especially to the soldiers who facilitated prostitution by using their military influence, and states that these soldiers committed the crime of "illegal organisation membership". The indictment also includes some incidents reflected in the phone taps. It was stated that specialist sergeant Hüseyin Şahin had a relationship with gang manager Meral Akın, they stayed in the same house, they tried to bring 2 women from Adana for prostitution, but this could not be realised due to mishaps. It is stated in the indictment that specialised sergeant Şahin used his influence to bring the women to Şirnex, Şahin was in contact with gang members and gang manager İbrahim Tatar, and money was exchanged between them.

 

The indictment states that another specialised sergeant Ertaç Kaya was in contact with Meral Akın and brought a woman named Arzu E to Şirnex for the purpose of prostitution, and that Kaya and non-commissioned officer Mustafa Yalçın brought Arzu. E with their own vehicles in the city. It is stated in the indictment that Arzu E was forced to prostitution, "Ertaç Kaya, a specialist sergeant, knowing the functioning of the organisation, helped and played a role in bringing women who are called 'capital' to Şırnak by using his identity, and was in contact with the executive cadres of the organisation (...)". In Kaya's statement reflected in the indictment, while denying the allegations of prostitution, he admitted that he brought Arzu E to the city and used his military ID while passing through the search point. The indictment against another military defendant, non-commissioned officer Mustafa Yalçın, who was serving in Elkê (Beytüşşebap), stated that he and specialist sergeant Ertaç Kaya negotiated prostitution with Meral Akın.

 

Some of the tapes in the file are as follows:

 

Meral Akin: An acquaintance from Mersin is bringing their friend from Mersin. I asked for a girl in Mersin.

 

Kenan Tatar: Will she work here?

 

Meral Akin: She will work for me.

 

Meral Akin: 3 days later one will come from Diyarbakır.

 

Kenan Tatar: Mine has arrived.

 

Meral Akin: No, not this one, yours will arrive in 2-3 days.

 

Kenan Tatar: Whichever one I like is mine.

 

Meral Akin: Somebody her owner, my dear. 

 

Kenan Tatar: Do not start with the owner.

 

Meral Akin:...

 

Kenan Tatar: Look, if I like her, she's mine.

 

Meral Akin: Hıhıh (laughs) if you like

 

Kenan Tatar: I'm telling you frankly, I'll see you later.

 

Meral Akin: See you later.

 

Remzi Yarar: I am Remzi.

 

X: Yo Remzi.

 

Remzi Yarar: I'm in Nusaybin now, do you know until I get to Şırnak?

 

X: I swear I don't know.

 

Remzi Yarar: Where will you be when I call you in an hour and a half?

 

X: I will be here, I will be in maintenance.

 

Remzi Yarar: Okay, if you are in care, can't we come and pick you up from there?

 

X: Not sure, by car?

 

Remzi Yarar: I will take you by car.

 

X: You and who?

 

Remzi Yarar: Me and a few specialised sergeants.

 

X: Oh, okay.

 

X: OK, tell them the price.

 

Remzi Yarar: Okay, we already talked to Kenan and the other one, you know?

 

X: Yes.

 

Remzi Yarar: Don't tell them about the price, don't get involved in the price yourself.

 

X: I swear I won't do it without buying it.

 

Remzi Yarar: Don't interfere with the price yourself, we will buy it from them ourselves and then we will give it to you.

 

X: Okay, fine.

 

Abdullah Yildiz: Yes?

 

Meral Akin: What are you doing?

 

Abdullah Yildiz: Fine, thank you, what are you doing?

 

Meral Akin I'm fine, are you at home?

 

Abdullah Yildiz: Yeah.

 

Meral Akin: I have 3 specialists, arrange it and I'll get them for you.

 

Abdullah Yildiz: OK

 

Meral Akin: OK, set it up and let me know.

 

Abdullah Yildiz: OK

 

Meral Akin: If we give you 30-40 thousand a day, that's 900-1000 a month.

 

X: Exactly, and money comes to me from the girl anyway.

 

Meral Akın: Yeah, money will come to you from the girl anyway

 

X person: hi

 

Meral Akın: You will no longer be dependent on anyone, do you understand me?

 

X person: Yeah. Do you know Toprak, Memed Toprak?

 

Meral Akin: I do not recognise any

 

X: Allah allah I'll go with him you recognise him for sure.

 

Meral Akin: hello

 

X: This one has a mate too, he will come and look at the environment, if he gets pissed off, he will bring his mate here, you understand.

 

Meral Akin: I get it, I get it

 

X: We are already together now we're going to pick her up.

 

Meral Akın: hı ok, if he does something, as I said, because I have arranged a girl from Diyarbakır now.

 

X: yeah sister

 

Meral Akın: There's some of your girls, and there's a girl in Diyarbakır, and then there's the one next to me...

 

Meral Akin: You get it?

 

X: and if Memed's comes too they will be four

 

Meral Akin: Per person, if we gave you 10 thousand a day, what would that make? There are 4 of us, that's 40 thousand

 

X: That's 40 thousand, of course, dear sister.

 

Meral Akın: What does 1 million a month do to you?

 

X: 1 million 200 or so.

 

Meral Akin: 1 million 200, super money

 

X: huh, I mean, I'll get money from the girl anyway.

 

Meral Akin: the girl will come to you, we'll buy your cigarettes, you're already eating and drinking with us.

 

X: exactly, sister.

 

Meral Akın: You never touch the money, understand?

 

X: Sister, after this time, it's time to save money anyway, you understand, it's not time to eat."

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut