Aktar: Kozakçıoğlu was the Black Box of Turkey’s State of Emergency

Hayri Kozakçıoğlu, Turkey’s first state of emergency governor, was found dead in his apartment in Sarıyer, Istanbul. 

Aged 75, he has allegedly committed suicide, a claim that was confirmed by Istanbul Police Headquarters. 

Though Kozakçıoğlu reportedly committed suicide with a pistol, which became a conundrum as sources say that his wife heard no gunfire. 

“We have yet to complete the investigation and therefore we can not say from now that it was a suicide or not,” Mustafa Emre, Istanbul Interim Chief Prosecutor, said. 

The period of Kozakçıoğlu's governorship marked with unclaimed killings and depopulation of villages in Kurdish-populated areas of eastern and southeastern parts of Turkey.  

bianet interviewed Mehmet Emin Aktar, a former Human Rights Association (IHD) and former Diyarbakır Bar Association chair in the period of Kozakçıoğlu' governorship. 

Aktar told bianet that the period of Kozakçıoğlu between 1987 and 1991 (especially 1989 - 1991) was remarkable with Gendarmerie Intelligence Organization (JITEM) deployment in the heavy Kurdish-populated regions of eastern and southeastern Turkey. 

Aktar: We should face with state policies, not individuals

Reminding that the late 1980s and early 1990s marked with the start of disappearances, unclaimed killings and depopulation of villages in the southeastern Turkey, Aktar said Kozakçıoğlu served as the top bureaucrat of the period and added: “He was only a bureaucrat executing a state policy. We should face with state policies, not individuals. 

“Kozakçıoğlu was one of the black boxes of the period. He passed away without sharing his knowledge. He was a direct witness of what happened then. He knows what happened. He was a decision-maker, a laissez-faire person and direct responsible.  

“The archives of state emergency times are still inaccessible. The fact that no officials from that era is also one of the factors behind why we don’t have much information on those who should be held responsible. 

“Depopulation of villages, forced relocations, desertion of geography started with his era. We know that all these acts were committed by gendarmeries, police officers, village guards within the knowledge of state emergency governors. Kozakçıoğlu was the name behind who executed a state policy and he was the governor. 

“These acts were not necessarily personal choices of Kozakçıoğlu. It was the state policy of that era and top bureaucrats were executing them. He was only one of these people. 

“We should rather interrogate state policies. If we are seeking a truth here, this is where we should begin with. Personal accounts will not reach us anywhere.”

Who is Kozakçıoğlu?

Hayri Kozakçıoğlu was born in 1938 to Ahmet and his spouse Lütfiye in Alaşehir, Manisa Province.

After completing his primary education in Alaşehir, Kozakçıoğlu attended Atatürk High School in Izmir, finishing in 1955. He was educated then in political science at Ankara University between 1955-1959.

Following his graduation in 1959, he entered state service in the Ministry of the Interior, becoming a candidate district governor. Kozakçıoğlu served later as district governor (Turkish: Kaymakam) in Çamlıhemşin, Ardeşen, Delice, Çüngüş, Çınar, Kepsut and Gökçeada (Imbros).

In 1970, he was promoted to the post of an inspector at the ministry, and became later chief inspector.

After receiving special training by Scotland Yard in security matters, he was appointed in 1978 governor (Turkish: Vali) of Erzurum Province. His next post was the office of police chief in Istanbul Province for the period July 17, 1978- December 18, 1979.

Kozakçıoğlu served as governor for three years in Adana Province and then for three and half years in Sakarya Province. On January 12, 1987, he was appointed governor of Diyarbakır Province.

With the imposing state of emergency in 1987 over the region of Southeastern Anatolia, which comprised in the beginning eight provinces such as Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Hakkari, Mardin, Siirt, Tunceli and Van, Kozakçıoğlu became the first reigonal governor, appointed by President Turgut Özal. Called "super governor" (Turkish: Süper vali), he took office on July 19, 1987.

Kozakçıoğlu was appointed on August 19, 1991 governor of Istanbul Province, the most populated administrative division in Turkey.

According to a news published in September 1993 by the Turkish media, Hayri Kozakçıoğlu was accused of having peculated by transferring 2 billion Turkish Lira (approx. $250,000) of the funds provided by the United Nations from the regional governor's account to his private account, at the time he was the regional governor. He claimed that he did transfer the money on August 12, 1991 with the approval of Interior Minister Mustafa Kalemli, and he paid the amount back on January 18, 1993 upon the regional governor's request. However, Minister Kalemli stated that he had had no knowledge about this transaction. 

At this post, he served until his resignation on November 1, 1995 to enter politics. (EKN/BM)

* The section “Who is Kozakçıoğlu” is taken from wikipedia.