The family of HPG guerrilla Mercan Erkol (Berîtan Tolhildan), who fell martyr on 16 November 2017 in the Guhermê region of Kulp district of Amed, has been trying to recover the remains of their beloved for months.

Erkol's family lives in Van and after the release of the HPG statement saying that Erkol was among 12 gurrillas who had fallen as martyrs, applied to Diyarbakır Provincial Gendarmerie Headquarters to recover the remains of their children last March.

Later the family applied to Kulp Prosecutor to ask for the remains of Erkol to be given to them.

The Prosecutor's office gave Erkol's family a file number and sent them once again to Diyarbakir Gendarmerie Command.

The family applied to the Gendarmerie Command again and was asked for a blood sample for DNA testing. The family then went to Dicle University Hospital and gave a DNA sample, after which was called by the Provincial Gendarmerie Command and given the remains of their beloved before the results of the DNA in July last month.

Thereupon, the family went to Yeniköy Cemetery in Bağlar district, accompanied by prosecutors and soldiers, to finally retrieve the body of their beloved.

The family members were shown parts of three different bodies in the unknown section of the cemetery all in a grave.

The family applied to the Human Rights Association (IHD) after being told by the prosecutor to wait for the DNA results because the body of their beloved could not be identified among the parts of the three bodies.

Erkol Family came to Amed again on December 22, nine months after the DNA test and still with no results in their hands. They applied to MEBYA-DER, an association of solidarity for families who have lost their beloved.

Hısen Erkol, father of Mercan, said they are still waiting for the remains of their beloved to be released. He added that all this cruelty is because of them being Kurds.