Human rights group demands ‘effective, transparent investigation’ into Kobanê incidents

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The Diyarbakır Branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD) released a written statement today (October 6) and requested that a detailed inquiry and investigation be launched into the Kobanê incidents of October 6-8, 2014, over which 17 Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) politicians, including Kars Co-Mayor Ayhan Bilgen, have recently been arrested.

The statement of the human rights groups has read: "In the 6th year of the social incidents that occured on October 6-8, 2014, we, as human rights defenders, request that all violations of rights be investigated in their all aspects, the truths be brought into light and the investigations launched into the incidents be conducted in an effective and transparent manner."

'They have been unjustly, unlawfully arrested'

The İHD statement is briefly as follows:

"During the days-long demonstrations that started in the provinces of [Turkey's Kurdish-majority] region on October 6, 2014 to protest the ISIS attacks on Kobanê city and the [Justice and Development Party] AKP government's policies regarding Kobanê, 42 people lost their lives; while 35 of the deceased were civilians, two were refugees, two were police officers and three were militants of armed organizations. Affected by firearms-sharp objects and incidents, 801 people were wounded in various ways.

"1,128 people, including 56 children, were detained during the incidents. 221 people, including 24 children, were arrested. Curfew was declared in 25 districts, three of which were city centers and four central districts.

"No effective or transparent inquiry, work or investigation has been conducted by legal or administrative bodies regarding the social incidents known as Kobanê incidents of October 6-8, 2014.

"Let alone revealing the real perpetrators, as a result of the operations conducted by the political power holders through the judiciary, former HDP Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ were arrested and, most recently, based on the same grounds, 20 HDP politicians were taken into custody and 17 politicians from the HDP, including former MPs and mayors, have been unlawfully and unjustly arrested by being portrayed as the responsible parties of these incidents.

"Even though six years have passed since then, it is seen that the political power holders keep intervening - again through the judiciary - and they keep on acting with the same mindset." (AS/SD)