Levon Ekmekçiyan’s Funeral by His Family After 32 Years

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The body of Levon Ekmekçiyan who had been executed in Ankara has been transported to his family in France, two years after launch of the procedures by Human Rights Association (İHD) over request of his family.

Levon Ekmekçiyan’s body which has been taken from Ankara Cebeci Asri Cemetery on December 23, 2015 and transported to Paris is going to be buried with a funeral ceremony following the DNA procedures.

İHD İstanbul Branch Anti-racism and Anti-discrimination Commission held a press conference regarding the issue today (January 7).

Eren Keskin, attorney of Ekmekçiyan Family has noted that the transportation of the body which would take one day, has lasted two years due to difficulties they have experienced and pointed out to the fact, that Levon Ekmekçiyan had been deprived of having an attorney and the right to express himself during his trial  in consequence of which he had been sentenced to death penalty.

Procedures supposed to take one day, lasted two years

Levon Ekmekçiyan born in 1958 was the child of a family which had immigrated to Lebanon following the Armenian Genocide in 1915.

As a member of Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), he had been arrested as the suspect of the Ankara Esenboğa Airport attack on August 7, 1982, where nine persons had lost their lives and 72 others injured according to official figures under the circumstances of the military junta.

Ekmekçiyan imprisoned in Mamak Prison was executed in the morning of January 29, 1983, one day after the decision of death penalty had been rendered.

Levon Ekmekçiyan’s family has made an application to the members İHD Commission who had been in Paris for a meeting in 2013 and spoken out their request for transporting Ekmekçiyan’s body to Paris.

Eren Keskin was assigned as the attorney of the family and İHD members have discovered upon application that Ekmekçiyan’s body had been in Ankara Cebeci Asri Cemetery.

Although normally an authorization and a writing from the Provincial Directorate of Health approving the non-existence of health concerns and locating the body by Cemeteries Directorate would be enough for the transportation of the body, in this instance the process did not develop accordingly.

After two years spent on correspondences going between many authorities ranging from the Ministries for Internal Affairs, Justice and Foreign Affairs back and forth though not provided in the regulations, Ekmekçiyan’s bones have been taken from his grave and transported to Paris.

“Execution and death penalty were illegal”

Meral Çıldır reading the statement on behalf of İHD expressed that execution and death penalty were illegal.

“He had no attorney. He couldn’t plead. He couldn’t appeal since he didn’t have a lawyer.

“The statement received from him was a declaration of regret and he wasn’t supposed to be executed according to existing law. However, Emekçiyan was executed at full tilt.

“The date of the decision approving his execution is January 28, 1993. Levon Emekçiyan was executed the next morning at full tilt, on January 29.

“The law was suspended in fascist junta conditions but a special treatment even above that was applied to Ekmekçiyan. The reason of it was he was an ‘Armenian terrorist’ rather than a ‘terrorist’ in state’s eyes.

“Truth at Esenboğa should be revealed”

Çıldır drew attention to the fact that the secret behind the conflict at Esenboğa Airport hasn’t been disclosed.

“The crucial details of the incident have been covered and kept as a state secret for long years. However, as testimonies started to be shared in a very small circle, some unofficial documents are being obtained. However, state’s secret about the incident hasn’t been brought to light. It is unknown whether autopsy is performed on deceased, or whether performed technical survey.

“The first time an eyewitness who was held hostage that day spoke at a documentary titled ‘Esenboğa Raid’ on CNN Türk in 2004. He told that he has never forgotten the moment as he came face to face with a police officer immediately firing on him when he managed to escape by breaking the window. It was a police officer who shot him. The way how others were murdered should be declared, the truth must be revealed”. (BK/DG)