On the occasion of 17-31 May International Week of Struggle against Enforced Disappearances, the Human Rights Association (IHD) Amed (Diyarbakır) Branch said that enforced disappearance was used as a method of annihilation against dissidents.

The IHD statement on Wednesday said: “The struggle to reveal the fate of those forcibly disappeared and unidentified political murders and to bring those responsible to justice has always been ignored in Turkey. As human rights defenders, we believe that the only way to build a life based on social peace is to confront the past.

Despite the relentless struggle of the Saturday Mothers that has been going on for 28 years, unfortunately, the successive governments in the country have not taken a positive step to unravel the 'Enforced Disappearances', which are considered crimes against humanity.

The relatives of the disappeared and we, the rights defenders, who have not backed away from seeking justice against all oppression and obstructions in Diyarbakir since January 31, 2009, will undoubtedly continue our struggle under all circumstances. We urge non-governmental organizations, human rights defenders and everyone with conscience to join the struggle of the relatives of the disappeared by participating in the action we hold every Saturday at 12:00 in front of the Right to Life Monument in Kosuyolu Park.”

IHD pointed out that the Armenian Genocide was one of the realities that need to be confronted in Turkey.

The statement outlined what needs to be done as follows:

*The current administrative and judicial system, which produce impunity and injustice, should be changed as soon as possible in accordance with the principles of universal law.

*First of all, all relevant archives of the state should be opened in order to reveal the fate of those who were forcibly disappeared and to identify the perpetrators of the unsolved murders.

*We demand the establishment of a Truth Commission for Confronting the Past in order to prevent similar atrocities, to reveal the truth and to establish social peace in these lands.

* It is a human duty to keep enforced disappearance on the agenda and to demand that the perpetrators of this crime and their abettors be prosecuted in accordance with the laws.

* We urge the state to fulfil its responsibility to render an account of enforced disappearances in these lands by complying with international commitments,

*We urge the government to immediately sign the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

*We call on states that use enforced disappearance as a method of annihilation against dissidents to stop committing this crime.