Government to revise village guard system

Although the system has been harshly criticized by the European Union, human rights associations and particularly by the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), the government does not intend to abolish the system altogether. Weapons given to village guards will not be taken back.

Immediately after the shocking killings of more than 40 people in the village of Bilge in the southeastern province of Mardin earlier this year, the village guard system was subject to heated debate due to the involvement of village guards in the mass murder. Today, the democratic initiative launched by the government with the intention of settling Turkey's long-standing Kurdish issue has reignited debates over the system. During recent meetings Interior Minister Beşir Atalay had with nongovernmental organizations and political parties, it was suggested that the village guard system should be abolished or at least be revised.

The government already had the intention of doing so, particularly after the Ergenekon investigation revealed that many village guards had committed human rights violations. The village guard system's vulnerability to abuse became particularly apparent in the trial launched against Kayseri Provincial Gendarmerie Battalion Commander Col. Cemal Temizöz in connection with mysterious unresolved murders, in which people such as Kamil Atağ and Koçero Saluci, who had acted as chief village guards and who had engaged in criminal activities along with JİTEM, an illegal intelligence organization formed within the gendarmerie, have also been indicted.

Turkey first implemented the village guard system on March 26, 1985. The number of village guards rose to about 80,000 during the 1990s, when terrorist attacks were intense. About 5,000 village guards have stood trial on charges including terrorism, human rights violations and smuggling, and many of them have been found guilty. Based on these figures, human rights associations argue that the system should be abolished.

Currently, there are more than 65,000 village guards in 22 provinces. While some 59,000 village guards are paid regular salaries, the remaining 23,274 village guards are working on a voluntary basis. There are 5,187 village guards in Diyarbakır, 6,756 in Şırnak, 2,887 in Batman, 2,511 in Bingöl, 3,730 in Bitlis, 3,323 in Mardin, 1,860 in Muş, 4,661 in Siirt and 7,614 in Hakkari.

The government has never welcomed the idea of completely abolishing the village guard system. However, it has long been studying how the system can be improved by rectifying its shortcomings. Following the Bilge massacre, the Interior Ministry launched a project to overhaul the village guard system.

The General Staff, too, is known to be against the complete abolishment of the village guard system. Although there have been heated debates concerning the abolishment or amendment of articles concerning village guards in the Village Law, the Counterterrorism Law and the Weapons Law, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) believes that the village guards play important roles in counterterrorism efforts. For this reason, the TSK argues that the village guard system should be rehabilitated at best.

The Interior Ministry notes that village guards who commit crimes are expelled from the system, and it is not in favor of the idea of removing the village guards' weapons, citing concerns for the safety of the village guards' lives. Thus, sources say many of the village guards may be disarmed only after the Kurdish initiative introduces peace to the region.

Parliament not intent on abolishing system

It is not only the General Staff; Parliament is also not eager to completely abolish the system, as the parliamentary Human Rights Commission argued in its report about the Bilge massacre that the village guard system should not be abolished. The report argued that in spite of harsh criticism against the village guard system, the system should be maintained because it is not a cause, but an effect of terrorism. The report had the following recommendations for the government:

"It would be wrong if we allow reactionary assessments to guide us in accusing or abolishing the village guards and the village guard system. The village guards should be trained especially in law, psychology, etc., and their awareness about using weapons and under what circumstances should be increased. While it is not likely to abolish the village guard system given the current conditions and practical politics, its structure, functioning and hierarchy should be reorganized."

On the other hand, the Human Rights Association (İHD) argues that the system must be abolished immediately, claiming that 38 villages were burned down, 294 armed attacks were committed, 244 people were killed and 562 people were tortured by village guards between 1992 and 2009.