Syriac Couple in Şırnak Missing for 24 Days

Remzi Diril, the priest of the İstanbul Chaldean Church, has said that the search for his parents is continuing.

Evrim Kepenek

Syriac Couple in Şırnak Missing for 24 Days

Click to read the article in Turkish

Hurmuz and Şimoni Diril, a Syriac couple from Mehre (Kovankaya) village in the Beytüşşebap district of the southeastern Şırnak Province, have been missing since January 11.

They are the parents of Remzi Diril, the priest of the İstanbul Chaldean Church. Diril told bianet that the search is continuing.

Conducting an investigation into the incident, the prosecutor's office imposed a confidentiality order on the case on January 16.
"Three or four days after the incident, their neighbors said the family [the couple] were kidnapped. Why didn't they state this in the first place but now? According to their statement, 'Three people, including a woman, took the couple.' A technical search was carried out based on this statement but there was no result," Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Tuma Çelik told bianet.

"Besides, the prosecutor's office imposing a confidentiality order on the file is also raising many questions. According to the information I received from the district governorship, a technical search is being carried out.

"If this state cannot find the couple who have been missing for 24 days in an area like this, this means it is incapable. I don't think Turkey is so incapable, which means there is not a sufficient search. I don't believe the state is doing the necessary search and rescue work with all its organs."

What happened?

Remzi Diril had announced that he has not been able to reach his parents as of January 11.

Informing bianet that the couple resided in both their village and İstanbul, Çelik had said, "Apart from the Diril couple who has got missing, there is only one person living in the village. This other person is a relative of theirs.

"The village is in mountainous terrain, it is a military zone and usually forbidden. Due to winter conditions, we as well as their family members have difficulties in reaching the village. The family members are deeply worried, they cannot reach the region, either."

Syriacs are a Christian minority who mostly live in the southeastern parts of the country.

(EMK/VK)

Origin

BIA News Desk

Evrim Kepenek

@kepenekevrimm

[email protected]

all articles of the author

Editor of bianet Women’s News (2018). Editor of bianet Women’s and LGBTI+ News from October 2018 to February 2025. She conducts workshops on gender-focused journalism...

Editor of bianet Women’s News (2018). Editor of bianet Women’s and LGBTI+ News from October 2018 to February 2025. She conducts workshops on gender-focused journalism and reporting on gender-based violence. She is among the founders of the Women and LGBTI+ Commission of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS). She is a board member of the TGS Istanbul Branch for the 2023–2027 term. She received the Musa Anter Journalism Award in 2011 and the Turkish Psychiatric Association’s Best News Award in 2024. She worked as a reporter for Cumhuriyet, BirGün, İMC TV, DİHA, Jinha, and Jin News, and also worked for local newspapers in Rize. Her news reports and articles have been published in Sivil Sayfalar, Yeşil Gazete, Journo, and trade magazines. She is one of the founding writers of GOR, a Hemşin culture magazine. She contributed writings to the books Yeşilden Maviye Karadenizden Kadın Portreleri, Sırtında Sepeti, and Medya ve Yalanlar. She was a bianet intern in 2000. She graduated from the Department of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University.