Dream is over

The destruction of Diyarbakir and the Turkish-Kurdish Conflict

Martin Gerner

In October of 2015, the German photojournalist and ARD author Martin Gerner, widely experienced in crisis situations, was one of the few independent reporters to document the armed conflict between Kurdish fighters and the Erdoğan government over Diyarbakir. Loss and suffering among the civilian population are the focus of his photographs. ‘Even then it was clear,’ says Gerner, ‘that each photo was also a sign and evidence for freedom of speech and the press.’ Since that time, hundreds of civilians have been killed in the fighting, while tens of thousands have been forced to flee.
Since his return from Diyarbakir, Martin Gerner has maintained contact to victims and those involved and has recorded their voices. These can be heard in the form of audio documentation accompanying the images. The reports by eyewitnesses constitute a unique document on the conflict between Kurdistan and Turkey.