A year ago a Christian couple was kidnapped Şırnak. Two months later, Şimoni Diril's body was found but there is still no trace of Hürmüz Diril. 37 Chaldean and Assyrian institutions have written an open calling for the crime to be investigated.
In the district of Beytüşşebap in the northern Kurdish province of Şırnak lies the village of Kovankaya, traditionally inhabited by Assyrian and Chaldean Christians.
Hurmüz (71) and Şimoni (65) Diril come from this village. The couple disappeared on 11 January 2020. The body of Şimoni Diril was discovered after 69 days on the bank of a stream bed, there is still no sign of Hürmüz Diril. In the region marked by the crimes of Turkish death squads, there are many indications of murder committed by the state. A confidentiality order was issued in the investigation, and Şimoni Diril's autopsy report was not published.
"Nothing was done to find the truth"
Relatives, friends and supporters do not want to let this case rest. 37 Chaldean and Assyrian institutions have once again written an open letter calling for the crime to be investigated. The letter was sent to the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Commission's Representation in Ankara and all embassies in Turkey as well as to human rights organizations. In the letter, the organizations criticize: "Apart from a few superficial statements from local authorities, nothing was done to solve the murder of Şimoni Diril or to find Hürmüz Diril."
"The children want to know the truth"
The organizations also write: “The couple's children, family and friends want to know the truth. Due to the relatively peaceful situation, the Diril couple returned to the region and their village, which used to be mainly inhabited by Chaldeans. The Diril couple represent a growing development in the Christian diaspora communities, especially the Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syriacs, who are trying to re-establish their ties to their ancestral villages in south eastern Turkey and to rebuild their family property. So they want to restore the relationship to their roots.
The targeted attack on Şimuni and Hurmüz Diril is a consequence of the Turkish government's culture of impunity and is a cause of great concern among people returning from the diaspora and the Christian communities in the country. On this basis, we express our concern and call on the Turkish Ministry of Justice to conduct a serious, thorough and transparent investigation into the case and bring the perpetrators to justice. We call on the Turkish Ministry of Justice for equal treatment regardless of religious affiliation, as prescribed by the Turkish constitution."
