The villages of Kozluja and Kurukaymak, under the Hozat province of Dersim in western Armenia, were emptied in 1990 for so-called security reasons.

The villagers, however, fought for their rights for a long time and the organized collection of signatures bore fruit. Finally, the villagers were allowed to resettle in their birthplace.

The Hozat governorate, responding to the collection of signatures initiated by the “Solidarity and Culture” association, through which the villagers demanded the return of the villages of Kozluja and Kurukaymak, which had been emptied since 1990, said that there were no longer any obstacles to living in the villages.

In a statement issued by the association, the residents were banned from entering the village until 2022 for security reasons. The former residents were not allowed to use private properties, houses were demolished during their absence, fields and gardens were destroyed and cemeteries were neglected. They were not even allowed to visit the graves of their relatives.