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Diyarbakır Bar Association Chair Tahir Elçi was murdered in front of the Four-Legged Minaret in Sur in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır on November 28, 2015 while he was making a statement for the press.
Though it has been three years since the murder of Tahir Elçi, the perpetrators have still not been brought to justice.
Tahir Elçi will be commemorated today in Diyarbakır and İstanbul. Messages commemorating Tahir Elçi have also been posted on social media under the hashtag #TahirElçisiz3Yıl (3 years without Tahir Elçi).
Some messages that have been shared on Twitter under the hashtag and their translation into English are as follows:
Bahçene, yanındaki boşluğa gelip sonsuzluk uykusuna yatıncaya dek” savaş, çatışma, silah bizden uzak olsun” diyeceğim.#TahirElcisiz3yıl pic.twitter.com/lJodoFi0EA
— Türkan ELÇİ (@turkan_elci) 27 Kasım 2018
Türkan Elçi (wife of Tahir Elçi): "Until the day when I come to your garden and fall into the sleep of eternity by your side, I will continue saying 'Far be the war, conflict and weapons from us.'"
tahir elçi’nin vurulduğu sokakta en az 12 polis ve iki de polis kamerası kayıttaydı, ancak bilirkişi raporuna “nasıl vurulduğu tıbben ve fiziken bilinemez” yazıldı. aradan 3yıl geçti bir kişi dahi tutuklu değil. anısına saygıyla. oslo nobel barış merkezi duvarı. #TahirElçisiz3Yıl pic.twitter.com/OD7TBRiKTy
— Kirkor Narsistyan (@bunsenbeki) 27 Kasım 2018
Kirkor Narsistyan: "On the street where Tahir Elçi was murdered, there were at least 12 police officers and two police cameras taking video footage; however, it was written on the expert report that 'it cannot be medically and physically known how he was shot.'
"It has been three years, but, not even a single person has been arrested. With respect to his memory. The wall of the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo."
#TahirElçisiz3yıl da insan hakları alanında hiçbir şey iyiye gitmedi. Sadece barışın değil insan haklarının da elçisiydi.
— Kerem ALTIPARMAK (@KeremALTIPARMAK) 27 Kasım 2018
Kerem Altıparmak: "In the three years that have passed without Tahir Elçi, nothing in terms of human rights has changed for the better. He was the ambassador ("Elçi" in Turkish) of not only peace but human rights as well."
Meslektaşımız Tahir Elçi'nin katledilişinin üzerinden üç yıl geçti. #TahirElçisiz3Yıl pic.twitter.com/rPzpzT0BPf
— Halkın Hukuk Bürosu (@halkinhukuk) 27 Kasım 2018
People's Law Bureau: "It has been three years since our colleague Tahir Elçi was massacred."
Üç yıldır cinayetin failini koruyorlar.
— Garo Paylan (@GaroPaylan) 27 Kasım 2018
Katili koruyan cinayete ortaktır!#TahirElcisiz3yıl pic.twitter.com/3X7mq6CDpa
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır MP Garo Paylan: "They have been protecting the perpetrator of the murder for three years. Whoever protects the murderer is a party to the murder!"
#TahirElçisiz3Yıl
— Filiz Kerestecioğlu (@FilizKer) 27 Kasım 2018
Karanlık daha büyük ama savunma onun hep izinde... pic.twitter.com/zkRIutvs3W
HDP Ankara MP Filiz Kerestecioğlu: "The darkness is bigger but defense is always following his path..."
Seni unutmayacağız / Em te ji bîr nakin! #TahirElçisiz3Yıl pic.twitter.com/7kjyu5VYnq
— İHD Amed (@amedihd) 27 Kasım 2018
Human Rights Association / Amed: "We will not forget you."
ayıbımız günahımız arttı, ahlâkımız insanlığımız geriledi #TahirElçisiz3Yıl #TahirElçi
— ümit kıvanç (@umit_k) 27 Kasım 2018
Ümit Kıvanç: "Our shames and sins have become bigger. Our morals and humanity have deteriorated."
What happened in the investigation into his murder?
* 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)
