Eighty-two years have passed since 33 Kurdish villagers from the Saray (Serav) and Özalp (Qelqelî) districts of the eastern province of Van were detained by soldiers and executed ont he shores of Sefo Stream.
The villagers were killed on the night of Jul 29, 1943, under the orders of then-Third Army Commander General Mustafa Muğlalı, on accusations of “border violation.” Only one of them survived.
The massacre, later known as the “Sefo Stream Massacre,” was immortalized in Ahmed Arif’s poem 33 Kurşun (“33 Bullets”), which remains a powerful symbol of the tragedy.
'We want to build a memorial'
Cüzeyri Özkaplan, who lost 16 relatives in the massacre, called for the return of their remains. “We want to build a memorial and visit them on anniversaries, but we don’t even have their bones,” he was quoted as saying by Mezopotamya Agency (MA).
“These people were murdered without cause. The government, bureaucracy, and state may have changed, but no apology has ever been offered to the families. The state must apologize to the people," said Özkaplan.
“If a memorial is built, it will bring some relief," he added. 1There is currently a peace process in Turkey, and we support it, but victims also need healing. Among those killed were people in their nineties and even soldiers. We want 33 symbolic gravestones to be erected.”
The site remains a military zone
Saray Co-Mayor Davut Acar, a member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, emphasized that the site remains a military zone and described this as an effort to erase collective memory. “We had previously made an attempt during the metropolitan municipality period, but it was rejected. That area is still designated as military and remains off-limits,” he said.
“There is a public demand for a monument to help ease the pain of the victims. Those affected want a place where they can grieve. These steps must be taken as part of the peace process.
"A memorial at the site would contribute to reconciliation. It is a shame that access to the area is still denied. As Serav Municipality, we are ready to do whatever is necessary. The bones at the site must be recovered.”
Sefo Stream massacre (The ‘33 Bullets’ incident)
In the summer of 1943, 33 Kurdish villagers from rural areas of Özalp were detained on charges of border violations and espionage. They were executed in a mass shooting at Sefo Stream under the orders of General Muğlalı. Only one survived, but he later died in Iran.
The massacre came to light years later through reports from inspectors of the Interior Ministry and military witnesses. Some soldiers stated that the villagers were tortured in barns and humiliated by being ridden like animals. Six years after the incident, Muğlalı was put on trial. In 1950, he was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to 20 years in prison due to his age. He was later released on medical grounds and died that same year.
In 2004, a military barracks in Özalp was named after Muğlalı, but following public outcry, its name was changed in 2011.
The victims’ bodies were never returned to their families, and Sefo Stream remains a restricted military area to this day.
The massacre inspired Ahmed Arif’s poem 33 Kurşun. Arif described the poem as a lament and said he was detained and tortured because of it.
(TY/VK)
