10.08.2026 20:10
Residents of Cevizdalı village, which was taken from Bitlis and attached to Siirt's Şirvan district, want to be re-attached to Bitlis due to the hardships they experience. Claiming that border, pasture, and transportation problems increased after being attached to Siirt, the villagers requested appointments from relevant authorities, especially President Erdoğan.
Residents of Cevizdalı village, which was taken from Bitlis and attached to Siirt's Şirvan district in 2022, stated that they have been facing various problems for about 4 years and demanded that their village be reattached to Bitlis.
ATTACHED TO SİİRT'S ŞİRVAN DISTRICT BY PRESIDENTIAL DECISION IN 2022 Cevizdalı village, which had been attached to the central district of Bitlis for many years, was attached to Siirt's Şirvan district with Presidential Decree No. 5070 dated January 5, 2022. Following the decision, the village residents initiated a legal process against the administrative change, but the lawsuit filed was rejected. The villagers stated that after being attached to Şirvan, especially the long-standing border and pasture disputes with the neighboring Ormanbağı village came to the fore again and the problems increased.
"WE ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS EVEN THOUGH OUR BORDERS HAVE BEEN DETERMINED" Mehmet Zakir Akçelik, one of the village residents, claimed that the border and pasture problems with the neighboring Ormanbağı village are growing and invited the authorities to conduct an inspection in the region. Stating that the borders between the two villages were determined by a Supreme Court decision, Mehmet Zakir Akçelik claimed that despite this, some people from Ormanbağı village are using the pastures, lands and forest areas that belong to Cevizdalı without permission. Akçelik said, "Our village was taken from Bitlis in 2022 and attached to Siirt's Şirvan district. Since that day, we have been experiencing serious problems for about 4 years. Today, one of our biggest problems is the border dispute with the neighboring Ormanbağı village. Even though our borders were determined by a Supreme Court decision, some people from Ormanbağı village are setting up tents and shacks in our pastures. We see that our titled and untitled lands and forest areas belonging to our village are being used without permission and animals are being grazed in these areas."
"WE DID NOT EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS OF THIS MAGNITUDE WHEN WE WERE ATTACHED TO BİTLİS" Akçelik stated that when Cevizdalı was attached to Bitlis, the administrative borders, the transportation route and the gendarmerie station they were affiliated with were different, and he argued that the existing problems increased even more after the village was attached to Şirvan. Akçelik, who said they did not experience this many problems during the period when they were attached to Bitlis, said, "Because our provincial border, our road and the gendarmerie station we were attached to were different. After being attached to Şirvan, all these processes started to be carried out through Şirvan and the problems we experienced grew even more."
"WE DO NOT WANT THE PROBLEM TO GROW FURTHER" Stating that they fear the current dispute between the two villages turning into more serious incidents, Akçelik emphasized that their aim is not to confront any person or village. Stating that they have evidence regarding what happened, Akçelik said, "We ask state officials to examine the issue on site. We do not want to fight with anyone. We also do not want this matter to grow further. If the necessary steps are not taken, we fear that the unrest between the two villages may lead to more serious incidents in the future. We want our officials to come to the region, examine the situation on site and take the necessary steps."
"THEY REQUESTED AN APPOINTMENT FROM PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN" Cevizdalı residents requested an appointment from the relevant state authorities, especially President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in order to directly explain the problems they are experiencing. Stating that they want their village to be reattached to Bitlis, Akçelik said, "Our demand is very clear and definite. We want our village to be reattached to Bitlis. Because our past, population records, social life, trade and belonging have been Bitlis for years. We want the relevant institutions of our state to hear our voice, take the will of the citizens into account and evaluate the issue fairly."
"37 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE 1992 ATTACK" Cevizdalı village also came to Turkey's agenda with the attack carried out in 1992. According to the information conveyed by the villagers, 37 village residents lost their lives in the attack, 21 people were injured and the houses in the village were largely damaged. The village residents stated that despite the pains experienced in the past, they have always maintained their loyalty to the state and expressed that their demand is not political and that they want to be reattached to Bitlis, to which they have historical and social ties. Cevizdalı residents expect both their administrative affiliation demand and the border, pasture and land problems they claim to have with Ormanbağı village to be examined on site by the authorized institutions and resolved.