Background
Until 1994, a group of villagers lived in Boydaş, a small settlement in South-Eastern Turkey. They were evicted from their homes by the government, and not allowed to return for almost ten years. The villagers were given no money or alternative housing, and they lived in extreme poverty. The evacuation had reportedly been carried out for counter-terrorism purposes.
The case of the Boydaş villagers highlighted a wider problem in South-Eastern Turkey: 1,500 similar cases had been registered with the Strasbourg court.