'Finding of the Bones Gives Hope to Every Single Family of Missing Persons'

Human bones found in the Kurdish-majority Mardin province give hope to the families of missing persons from all across the region," says attorney Kuzu.

Ayça Söylemez

'Finding of the Bones Gives Hope to Every Single Family of Missing Persons'

Photo: Mezopotamya Agency

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A scene investigation has been carried out regarding the finding of human bones found in Libka Kanîya hamlet in Akyol (Derêca) Neighborhood in Dargeçit, Mardin. The bones were brought to the Forensic Medicine Institution (ATK).

Erdal Kuzu, an attorney of the suffered families in the Dargeçit JİTEM case, made an application to Dargeçit Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the name of his clients, requesting an identification work for two people whose bodies have not yet been found.

He told bianet that the bodies of Hikmet Kaya and Specialized Sergeant Bilal Batır, two slain people in the Dargeçit JİTEM case file, have not yet been found and that he requested DNA analysis by collecting samples from the families of those people.

Relatives of the missing can apply to the prosecutor's office

Kuzu added that he also applied to the prosecutor's office for those who were forcibly disappeared in Kızıltepe JİTEM case and Derik case, both of which ended with acquittals.

İrfan Yakut applied to the prosecutor's office for his father, Yahya Yakut, who was forcibly disappeared in 1993 but is not included in the case file.

After the collection of DNA samples, the ATK will compare the DNAs with the bones and try to identify them. The institution is "dragging their feet and needs to speed up," according to Kuzu.

In case of applications from people other than the relatives of the missing, they would direct them to the prosecutor's office and monitor the process, he further said.

"The bones might belong to the missing"

Is it possible that the bones belong to those who were forcibly disappeared?

"It is quite possible," according to the lawyer.

"The mentioned area is an area where village evacuations were intense. The bodies that were found later in all other case files were in places that were not visible from the road. Bones were found here in that shape, too. They placed them in the entrance of the case but in a way that those who were passing cannot see. This place can also be considered among suspicious places," he remarked.

Kuzu said they expected that families of missing people from other provinces might also apply: "These bones give hope to every single family of the missing ones. Because those who were forcibly disappeared might not be buried in the places where they disappeared. Among those who disappeared in Kızıltepe, there were those who were found in Dargeçit."

Court has been "looking for" the witnesses for two years

The case about the interrogation and execution of eight people in Dargeçit 20 years ago, known as the "Dargeçir JİTEM case," is being heard at Adıyaman 2nd Heavy Penal Court. Kuzu said the case will resume in July but there was no advance because witnesses have not been heard for two years.

"The court has been trying to reach the prosecutor at that time for two years. The prosecutor who prepared the indictment could not be reached after he was arrested and released upon judicial control. The state cannot bring the person it released. We demanded the ministry be asked whether the prosecutor had fled abroad, the court rejected our request. In addition, two retired teachers are summoned to be heard as witnesses, but they are not brought to court as it is said 'they could not be found at their addresses.' We think that all three witnesses can make an important contribution to the file."

What happened in Dargeçit?

On October 28, 1985, two teachers were abducted in Dargeçit. A day later, the son of the Amara village's chief guard was also abducted by the PKK. After the bodies of the three people were found on October 30, detentions started in Dargeçit.

On the same day, the house of the Doğan family was raided by a group consisting of 60 to 70 soldiers, special operations members, village guards and plain-clothed people and Seyhan Doğan (14) was detained.

On that night and in the following few days, her uncle-in-law Abdurrahman Coşkun (21), her uncle's son Mehmet Emin Aslan (19), her brother Hazmi Doğan (11), Abdurrahman Olcay (20), Nedim Akyön (16), Hikmet Kaya (24), Süleyman Seyhan (57) and his daughter Fehime Çelik were also taken into custody.

Raiding a house to detain Davut Altınkaynak (13) on the same night, soldiers detained his mother Hayat Altınkaynak because he was not at home.

Threatening his mother to learn the whereabouts of Davut, soldiers managed to convince her that they would just interrogate and then leave him. After detaining Davut, who was staying at his uncle's home, they tortured him in front of his mother with Palestine hanging.

Hazni Doğan and Fehime Çelik were also subjected to torture and witnessed what happened to those who were detained. Hazni Doğan, Hayat Altınkaynak and Fehime Çelik were released but nothing was heard from eight people, including two high school students and three children.

According to the indictment, Specialist Sergeant Bilal Batırır, who was a Grey Wolf nationalist, was allegedly burned to death by his commanders Hurşit İmren and Mehmet, who feared that he might report them after he opposed what was done to the people.

Seyhan Doğan's body was found on March 6, 1996, in a well after a person called her family by phone. Bodies of the other missing people could not be found although it is thought that they were killed.

After an application by the families in 2009, an investigation was opened again. The indictment prepared by Midyat Chief Public Prosecutor's Office was accepted by Midyat Heavy Penal Court.

Then Gendarmerie Batallion Commander Hurşit Tolon, Dargeçit District Gerdarmerie Commander Mehmet Tire, Dargeçit Central Gendarmerie Station Commander Mahmut Yılmaz and Vice-Commander Haydar Topçam and Specialist Sergeant Kerim Şahin are facing life sentence on the charge of premeditated murder.

The case is being heard in Adıyaman city due to "security reasons."

(AS/VK)

Ayça Söylemez

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Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Felsefe Bölümü mezunu. Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi Sosyoloji bölümünde yüksek lisans yaptı. Marmara Üniversitesi İletişim Bilimleri’nde doktora yapıyor. Vatan, Akşam, HaberTürk ve Hürriyet gazetelerinin yazıişleri ve dış haberler bölümünde çalıştı. Güncel Hukuk dergisinde yazıları yayınlandı. BirGün’de Anonim adlı köşeyi yazıyor. 2011’den bu yana bianet’te İnsan Hakları Editörü.