Traces Found For “Disappeared” Children in Dargeçit

Another mass grave was discovered in the southeastern district of Dargeçit. Human Rights Association (IHD) Mardin Branch Chairman Erdal Kuzu told bianet that they applied to court for further investigation.

When Davut Altunkaynak and Nedim Akyön disappeared in 1995, they were 13 and 16 years of old respectively. 

Kuzu said that the bodies recovered in the mass grave might belong to the aforementioned children as the cloth remaining could match with theirs. 

What happened?

On 29 October 1995, PKK seized two teachers were allegedly abducted and killed by PKK in Dargeçit. Subsequently, 57-year-old Süleyman Seyhan and a group of eight juveniles and children as his relatives and inhabitants of the village were taken into police custody for aid.

13-year-old Hazni Doğan was released. Abdurahman Çoşkun and Mehmet Emin Aslan, both 20 years old, 18-year-old Abdullah Olcay, 14-year-old Seyhan Doğan, 13-year-old Nedim Akyol and 12-year-old Davut Altunkanak disappeared and were never heard of again.

The case was brought into attention again in 2009 when prosecutor Şükrü Arslan took over the case after the complaints of victim families. An investigation was launched departing from the statements of victim families, soldiers as well as village guards and teacher under protection program. It turned out that 7 villagers were tortured to death. 

On December 25, 2014, 5 soldiers were prosecuted. The indictment on the unclaimed killings and detentions in the southeastern district of Dargeçit have been completed 19 years after the incident. 5 soldiers have been charged with killing 8 individuals including 3 children and 1 soldier.

Seyhan Doğan’s body was recovered in a mass grave 18 years after the incident. 4 other bodies were recovered as well. It was claimed that Chief Sergeant Bilal Batırır was also killed by his commandants Hurşit İmren and Mehmet Tire in fears of being turned in.

Admitted  by Midyat High Criminal Court, the case indictment charged then-gendarmerie officers and soldiers  Hurşit İmren, Mehmet Tire, Mahmut Yılmaz, Haydar Topçam and Kerim Şahin with life sentence for neglected murder. 

The case was transferred to Adıyaman High Criminal Court due to security reasons. The trial will continue. (AS/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.