In the civil law suit on the events in Cizre during the 79 day long curfew where 288 people lost their lives and over 2.000 buildings were demolished, there is only one security officer on trial.
288 people had lost their lives during the curfew declared in 2015 in Şırnak’s Cizre district, and the curfew had resulted in the complete destruction of 4 neighborhoods. Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi - HDP) Urfa MP Dilek Öcalan submitted a written inquiry on the events in the district, and the Ministry of Justice response has revealed that there is only one security officer on trial as a defendant in the lawsuits filed regarding the incidents where hundreds of people lost their lives.
In the inquiry she submitted, HDP’s Dilek Öcalan had asked “Are there any members of security forces who were investigated for the duration of the curfew in Cizre? If there are, what crimes have they been tried for?”
Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül responded to the inquiry and included correspondence with the Cizre Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The response of the Cizre Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office was also added to the inquiry. The prosecution responded that one security personnel was investigated during the curfew in Cizre, and the civil law suit against the officer continued in Cizre 2nd Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction.
There was no information in the response about what incident the lawsuit was filed against, or whether the defendant was a soldier or a police officer.
WHEN IS A CIVIL LAW SUIT FILED?
The civil law suit that continues as the prosecution says can only be filed on certain cases. There must be a crime against the state or the society for sufficient grounds for a civil law suit. Destruction of public property, willful injury, causing a death, traffic accidents causing injury etc. are all grounds for a civil law suit as well.
WHAT HAPPENED IN CIZRE?
288 people lost their lives in the district, 177 of them in the basements, during the 79 day long curfew that was declared by late 2015 and lifted after the first months of 2016. Among the 288 were one baby, 40 minors and 22 women.
Over 20 people have still not been identified in the months that have passed since. 2.700 buildings were put on record as heavily damaged or demolished.
