Allegedly in a show of intimidation targeting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Ali Arıkan, deputy governor of the southeastern province of Şırnak, has posed for the cameras on Friday in a house burnt down during clashes between the Turkish security forces and the outlawed PKK militants and led to widespread reactions from social media users across the country.
Arıkan, in a black suit with black sunglasses, has posted a photo on his personal Instagram account. The deputy governor was mocked by many for wearing a coat and sunglasses like Neo from “The Matrix,” a science fiction movie about heroes who fight a desperate war against machine overlords that have enslaved humanity.
Turkish authorities had conducted direct talks with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan for several years until a truce in effect collapsed in the summer of 2015. Since then, there have been heavy clashes between the PKK and Turkish security forces.
More than 40,000 people, including 5,500 security force members, have been killed in four decades of fighting between the Turkish state and the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU. (SCF with turkeypurge.com) May 20, 2017
