A new mass grave has been discovered in a cave near the village of Dilan (Ulaş) in the Dargeçit district of Mardin province. The human remains found in the Pekurte cave are thought to be of people who were abducted by JITEM in the 1990s.

Hundreds of people were abducted and killed by JITEM, a unit established by the state and attached to the Gendarme, in Kurdistan in the 1990s, many of the bodies being thrown into acid baths or dumped in caves.

A local villager who did not wish to give his name told ANF that he had found many human bones in a cave in Dargeçit district near the river Tigris.

We encounter a mass grave in the cave

The Pekurte cave is about a 3-hour walk from the village of Dilan near the river Tigris on the border between the provinces of Şırnak and Mardin. The cave is spirally shaped and about 200 metres deep. We lower ourselves into the cave by rope. After going down about 40 metres we find bones and clothes, trousers, a pullover and a shirt.

Going down further we find a skull, a jawbone and training shoes belonging to two different people. A sweater and shoes are small and must have belonged to a child. Skeletal remains stretch into the distance but we cannot go down any further. There are probably bones belonging to many people in the cave. Along with the bones there are also many soldiers’ cartridge belts. We are accompanied by Abdurrahman Aslan, who had previously found the remains of his brother who was abducted by JITEM.  Aslan says the cartridge belts could have been used to bind the victims. There is also a helva tin bearing the date 1995. Aslan says this brand of helva was eaten by soldiers.

‘There may be the remains of 7 people who were abducted’

Aslan said that JITEM operatives and village guards from nearby villages were active un the area. He said the bones and clothes in the cave might belong to 7 people, including 13-year-old Davut Altınkaynak and 16-year-old Nedim Akyön, who were abducted by JITEM in Dargeçit in 1995.

What happened?

On 30 October 1995 Süleyman Doğan, Abdurrahman Olcay, Mehmet Emin Aslan, Abdurrahman Coşkun, Seyhan Doğan, Davut Altınkaynak and Nedim Akyön were abducted and killed by JITEM in Dargeçit, on the grounds they had assisted the PKK. While years later the remains of the first 5 men have been found, the bones of Davut Altınkaynak and Nedim Akyön have yet to be found.

‘The public prosecutor should take action’ 

Abdulrahim Aslan said it was highly likely that the remains in the cave belonged to Davut Altınkaynak and Nedim Akyön and that the public prosecutor should carry out an investigation. “At least we were able to have a funeral for my brother. The families of these people should also be able to have a grave for their children,” he said.

Aslan said families of other disappeared persons should also apply to the public prosecutor as the remains of their loved ones might also be in the cave.

The Mardin branch of the Human Rights Association has announced it will make applications to the relevant authorities so that a legal process is initiated.