The Mezopotamya (MA) news agency has published a video of the racist attack on the Kurdish Dedeoğulları family. The 7 members of the family from Kars were living in the Central Anatolian province of Konya were murdered on Friday in their own home in Meram.

Yaşar, Barış, Serpil, Serap, Ipek, Metin and Sibel Dedeoğulları were buried in the Saraçoğlu Cemetery in Karatay County.

Recordings from one of three cameras analysed

The now published scenes show recordings from one of a total of three surveillance cameras at the Dedeoğulları house. As lawyer Maviş Aydın told MA, the Konya Public Prosecutor's Office has so far only analysed the video recordings from one of the surveillance cameras. The agency only has an excerpt from the approximately 40-minute video. Only one of the perpetrators can be seen on it. He sits in the garden of the Dedeoğulları and talks to the members of the family. His vehicle is parked in front of the entrance; he is carrying a bag. At some point, the man jumps up, paces up and down a little, and then pulls out a gun. For a few moments, he keeps the gun pointed at the Dedeoğulları, the youngest daughter (in pink clothes) lifts a stone from the ground and throws it at the attacker. At the same moment, she runs towards him. At the same time the rest of the family members run towards the man. However, he can avoid them and shoots at the Dedeoğulları while running away. The 1:42 minute scene ends shortly afterwards.

Youngest daughter tries to save the family

Maviş Aydın watched the entire recording. “The perpetrator leaves his car at the garden gate of the house at 5:50 pm. At that moment, the youngest daughter of the house returns with one of her sisters from the neighbours’ house. He talked to her briefly, then he entered the property. He sits down on a chair opposite his father, Yaşar Dedeoğulları, and they start a conversation. There are now five people [in the garden]. After about 20 minutes, they say goodbye to the man who returns after 18 minutes. They open the door for him, he enters and sits down. Now he is carrying a blue bag with him. He unpacks a gun and the youngest daughter jumps up to steal the gun from the perpetrator. He manages to break free. He runs a few steps, turns around and shoots everyone.”

Threatened by racists for years

The Dedeoğulları have lived in Konya for thirty years, the past 24 years in a neighbourhood in Meram. They were the only Kurdish family in the place. On May 12, the family was attacked and seriously injured by a sixty-person lynch mob in their home. Seven of the attackers were temporarily detained and released for “lack of evidence” and placed under police protection. Barış Dedeoğulları had said in an interview after the lynch attempt: “We have not only now been victims of racist and discriminatory attacks by the Keleş and Çalık families because of our Kurdish origins. This has been going on for fifteen years. They say that they will not tolerate Kurds here. Once, ten or more people climbed on our roof and urinated there. Another time they threw firecrackers in our garden. But there were also people among the lynch mob whom we saw for the first time."

Thirteen arrests so far

According to the authorities, thirteen people have so far been arrested in connection with the murder, and the search for the perpetrators will continue. However, it is already becoming apparent that the racist motive is not being taken into account. The General Prosecutor's Office in Konya has backed the same interpretation in  Turkish government circles: The "incident" was the result of a conflict between two neighbouring families that had been going on for eleven years and was not racially motivated.