AMED – Speaking about the “Department for the Investigation of Unsolved Crimes”, Relatives of Disappeared emphasised the importance of a reckoning and stated that the Ministers of the Interior from the 1990s must be held to account.  

 

Justice has still not been served for the thousands of people killed, abducted and whose fate remains unknown, or who were lost whilst in custody in Kurdistan during the 1990s. Whilst there is curiosity regarding how the “Department for the Investigation of Unsolved Crimes”, established within the Ministry of Justice, will proceed in this regard, investigations have been launched into 638 cases and 693 murders across 75 cities in Kurdistan and Turkey, where there are 17,000 unsolved cases.

 

 

Relatives of Disappeared, who have been campaigning for years to have these unsolved murders brought to light, to see those responsible brought to justice, and to locate their missing loved ones, have shared their views on the Department.

 

‘THERE ARE CONTRADICTIONS IN THE STATEMENTS’

 

İhsan Acar, the son of Mehmet Salim Acar, who was forcibly disappeared whilst in custody in the Bismil district of Amed (Diyarbakır) on 20 August 1994, stated that there were contradictions in Akın Gürlek’s statements regarding unsolved murders. Reacting to Gürlek’s statement that he would separate certain cases from one another, Acar asked, “Can you separate the truth from one another?” 

 

Demanding clarity from Gürlek, Acar asked whether cases involving prominent Kurdish figures who were murdered, such as Tahir Elçi, Musa Anter and Vedat Aydın, would be investigated, stating that peace could not be fully achieved unless these steps were taken. He stated that “accountability cannot be avoided” regarding Mehmet Ağar, who served as Minister of the Interior and Justice in the 1990s, and Meral Akşener, who succeeded him as Minister of the Interior. 

 

“The state came and took our people from their homes; to this day, the whereabouts of their remains are still unknown. If no one is held to account for this, how will this institution carry out its work? How can we expect results from this institution?” he asked. 

 

Recalling the period when his father went missing, Acar said, “One of those responsible was Mehmet Ağar. They are still alive. We will not give up this struggle without holding these people to account. We are in pursuit of justice and the truth. We have been waging this struggle for 30–35 years. Let the fate of all the files be revealed, so we can put an end to our mourning,” he stated. 

 

Expressing his displeasure that the views of the Relatives of Disappeared were not being sought in such an initiative, Acar emphasised that they had been holding protests in Amed’s Koşuyolu Park for 900 weeks and called for contact to be made with them. 

 

Calling on all political parties, institutions and human rights defenders to join the “Find the missing, prosecute the perpetrators” protests in Koşuyolu, Acar emphasised that they would continue their struggle to the very end, adding: “The state cannot speak of the future without owning up to its past. We believe in ourselves, we are hopeful; we will succeed.” 

 

‘WE HAVE NO EXPECTATIONS’

 

Halime Bayram, the sister of Mehmet Şirin Bayram, who was detained in the Pasûr (Kulp) district of Amed in 1996 and has not been heard from since, stated that they have no expectations regarding the establishment of the Presidency and the nature of its work. 

 

Halime Bayram criticised the Ministry for failing to consult with the Human Rights Association (İHD), which has witnessed 17,000 unsolved murders and is conducting work on this issue. 

 

“The fact that the Ministry is not collaborating with the İHD, the Relatives of Disappeared, or the Saturday Mothers, but is merely taking steps within its own structure, will not yield any results,” she said.  

 

Drawing attention to the fact that the state and certain state mechanisms are also part of these unsolved murders, Halime Bayram said that for this reason, a presidency comprising solely state structures cannot present the truth objectively. She said that what needs to be done is to ensure, through collaboration with human rights defenders, that those directly or indirectly involved in the murders are brought to justice. 

 

Halime Bayram emphasised that the state must confront the issue and, by reminding everyone of the state’s responsibility, must act as a watchdog regarding unsolved murders.

 

MA / Rukiye Payiz Adıguzel