Funda Encü, who lost her brother Serhat in the Roboskî Massacre, stated that the AKP government is trying to cover up their crime and added that they have no expectations from Turkish justice any more. Encü said they are waiting for a response from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which the case has been transferred to.

One of the 34 children and young Kurdish people killed in the Roboskî Massacre was 16 years old Serhat Encü. Serhat Encü was also the brother of HDP Şırnak MP Ferhat Encü who is currently unlawfully held in prison, and had been violently killed on December 28, 2011 by Turkish F-16 jets on his way back from the border trade journey he made every week. Funda Encü was 15 at the time, and said she can’t forget the last time she saw her brother Serhat. Funda and Serhat were considered twins as he was just one year older than her, and 21 years old Funda Encü couldn’t hold back her tears as she talked about her brother: “Serhat was a very giving person. He dropped out of high school to take care of the house and to help Ferhat and Veli study because my father was sick. He used to take the border trade route 3-4 times a week. Even though he was young, he had all the weight of the household on his shoulders. If we were able to study, that was thanks to my brother Serhat’s efforts.”

BREAD AND BUTTER, NOT SMUGGLING

Encü stated that the border trade dubbed “smuggling” is the bread and butter of the people of Şırnak, and that there are no factories in the region, and they are not allowed to farm, so people have no other option to feed themselves but border trade. “There, you have to either become a village guard and kill people with government issue weapons, or take the trade route every week, in the cold and the snow,” said Encü and added that her family chose to earn a honorable living.

WITH HIS BELOVED MULE

Encü said she remembered the day of the massacre like yesterday and spoke about the last time she saw Serhat: “It was around 15.00. There was a lot of snow that day, it was very cold. We always stayed up to wait for Serhat because he returned home very late on the days he went to the border trade. He couldn’t go the previous day because he couldn’t find a jerry can. On December 28, my mother was sick and she had just come back from the hospital. Serhat hugged my mother tightly before he left. He had a group of friends, he always took the journey with them, they used to go to weddings or anywhere else all together. That day, they were sitting on the balcony as well. He asked me for his gloves. We had a white mule, he used to love that animal. He took that mule that day, and the mule was burned to death in the massacre. Serhat crossed the border with a group that included 11 of our relatives that day around 17.00-18.00. He called my father and said they had the goods, they were crossing over to Turkey and the soldiers were holding the road, but they had told them that they would not do anything to them. We weren’t suspicious, because the soldiers hold the road there all the time and sometimes they ask for supplies or cigarettes as they allow groups through. There were so few problems in the crossings that I had offered to go with them. They used to show us the videos they took on mule back, singing dengbêj songs. It looked like a lot of fun. That is why we never imagined anything would happen that day when they left.”

HE WAS ALIVE WHEN MY FATHER ARRIVED

Funda went to the scene of the bombing with her mother that night and pointed out that her brother Serhat survived the massacre and only lost his life because ambulances weren’t allowed into the area. In tears, Funda Encü said: “My brother was still alive when my father arrived in the scene. That night, we called the district governor, the governor, the border outpost but nobody answered. The ambulances we called were prevented. But my brother only had a broken leg and a head wound. There was a green chemical fired at them. That night was a nightmare. My uncle’s body was in pieces.”

FERHAT IN PRISON, MURDERERS WALK FREE

Encü said justice has still not been served even though it has been 6 years since the massacre and pointed out that the murderers were rewarded instead of being punished. Encü stressed that they have no expectations from Turkish justice any more and that they will not accept a dismissal of the case. Encü said the only reason that the AKP government hasn’t brought the perpetrators to light in all these years is that they are trying to cover up their crime and added: “Tayyip Erdoğan spoke of compensation 3 days after the massacre. Lives were lost, what compensation are you talking about?” Encü pointed out that instead of punishing the perpetrators, her brother Ferhat Encü was imprisoned: “My brother Ferhat who was trapped in Cizre for 10 days under bombs is imprisoned for helping his own people, while Serhat’s murderers walk free.”

Funda Encü said the case is now in the European Court of Human Rights and they are waiting for a response. She said, “We didn’t go to the border trade for fun, we went because of poverty,” and stressed that they are following up on the murderers.