The remains of HPG guerrilla Masum Aslan, who lost his life in the operation carried out by Turkish soldiers in Dersim in 2018, were sent to his family by post. Upon the finalization of the DNA test result given by the family 3 years ago, Aslan's body was sent to the Ergani Police Department by the Erzincan Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. This is not the first case the Turkish state sends the remains of a guerrilla by post.

The remains of Agit Ipek, who lost his life in Dersim in 2017, were also sent by post to the family by the Office of the Chief Prosecutor.

Speaking to ANF, Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul Branch chair, Gülseren Yoleri, said that this practice is another way to attack families.

Yoleri added that the law states how to bury the bodies without discrimination, and that all actions to the contrary are a violation of rights. “Under normal circumstances, the law stipulates what to do about it. All details of how to bury the bodies are available under the law. This is valid for all citizens, regardless of who they are or which segment they belong to. We underline that anything other than this is a violation of rights.”

Gülseren Yoleri underlines that these types of attacks target social peace and life, and that they also feed the rising hatred and discrimination. “This is an issue that needs to be addressed broadly, not only in terms of the person who lost his life, but also in terms of what it imposed on his family. Because here, there is an attack on both the family's right to mourn and moral values. At a time when hate attacks are on the rise, such actions fuel these attacks.”

Touching on the increasing hate attacks, Yoleri said: “The rise of discrimination is closely related to the political preferences of the government in the country. We see that these are the conscious choices of the government on many issues. That's why we have to question the policies of the government, because we know that these actions do not come out of nowhere in society, and people generally act by looking upwards. Increasing authoritarianism is pushing sections of society further away from human rights and democracy.”