Almost nine years have passed since a Turkish fighter plane bombed an area near the village of Roboski near Şırnak on 28 December 2011, killing 34 civilians, including 18 minors.

The young men, whose families lived thanks to border trade, were returning from south Kurdistan the night they were killed. Initial government claims alleged that the group were PKK members but were quickly proved lies, as soldiers were very well aware of the villagers' cross border activities. Nevertheless, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued to thank the army, and no one was brought to justice.

“In Turkey, there is a tradition to grant the state the freedom to kill without punishment,” says Tanju Gündüzalp, spokesman for the ‘Justice for Roboski’ initiative adding: "But truth has the virtue of coming to light sooner or later. No justice for Roboski means no justice for Turkey.”

Each 28th of every month the ‘Justice for Roboski’ initiative meets in Ankara to demand that those responsible for the massacre be punished. Normally the vigils take place in Yüksel Caddesi, in Ankara. Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, the initiative has been meeting in the premises of the IHD human rights association.

Gündüzalp reaffirmed that the fight for justice for Roboski will continue and that they will continue to demand an end to the impunity of those responsible for the massacre.