3 Years Pass Since Murder of Tahir Elçi, No Lawsuit Filed Yet

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Tomorrow (November 28) will mark the third year since the murder of Diyarbakır Bar Association Chair Tahir Elçi; however, not only have the perpetrators of the incident not been found in this three-year period, but no progress has been made in his case file as well.

Submitting a parliamentary inquiry regarding the issue, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Siirt MP Meral Danış Beştaş has emphasized, "The investigation into the death of Tahir Elçi will also be a step towards bringing several other unidentified murders into light."

In the inquiry submitted to the Parliament, it has been stated that "the ones who could be the suspects of the murder of Elçi were listened only as witnesses; no crime scene investigation was conducted at the scene of incident after Elçi was murdered; and the prosecutors conducting the investigation into his murder have been constantly changed."

What did the authorities of the time say?

Tahir Elçi was murdered in Sur in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır on November 28, 2015 while making a statement for the press.

In her parliamentary inquiry, Danış Beştaş has also referred to the remarks made by the authorities of the time regarding the murder of Tahir Elçi:

"The then Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said, 'This incident will definitely be brought to light. We will not let unidentified murders in our time. No matter who has done it, the target is not only Dear Tahir Elçi, but, Turkey.'

"The then Vice Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş also stated that the attack against Tahir Elçi was 'a brutal assassination'."

What happened in the investigation?

The following information has been shared in the parliamentary inquiry regarding the investigation launched into the murder of Tahir Elçi:

* Two chief prosecutors and four prosecutors conducting the investigation have been changed so far.

* Four law enforcement officers who were seen to be shooting in the direction of Elçi in the video footages were listened only as witnesses.

* While the examination of the video footages captured by the surveillance cameras of the shops in the vicinity of the scene of incident has remained inconclusive, the fourth camera of the Mardin Kebab House, which was positioned in such a way to capture the murder, "was not working".

* In the video footage captured by the police cameras, there is a 13-second gap, including the moment when Elçi was shot.

* Despite the applications submitted by the attorneys of Elçi family to the Prosecutor's Office, the memory card of the police camera is not found.

* No criminal investigation has been conducted on the weapons of over 30 police officers who were on the street at the time of incident. (AS/SD)