KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-Presidency has released a statement regarding the murder of human rights defender Tahir Elçi, president of Amed Bar Association.

KCK strongly condemned the murder of Elçi “by a police bullet” and offered condolences to Elçi's family, friends and all the people of Kurdistan.

The statement by KCK underlined that; “Amed Bar President has been pointed as a target and killed for committing the most serious crime in the eyes of the Turkish state, which is to say “PKK is not a terror organisation”. Every single person defending the same thing is being banned in Turkey. When this happens to be a well-known politician, this is responded with death. As the Turkish state makes all its sources available to the world to have the PKK recognised as a terrorist organisation, a globally known lawyer's remarks defending the opposite constitutes a major crime. The Gladio of the Palace has thus taken urgent action, prosecuted and soon murdered him.”

KCK said the video footage from the scene clearly proves that Elçi was murdered by police as two policemen were filmed telling the perpetrator one to "run away immediately to not be seen by anyone". According to KCK, murder of Elçi by a single bullet in the head also reveals that he was deliberately shot dead. "It is apparent that policemen had already chosen him as a target and did murder him at the most appropriate time."

Criticizing Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's remarks that Elçi might have been caught in crossfire, KCK said this statement means nothing but an attempt to cover up the crime committed by the state itself.

"All the Kurdish people know very well that murder with a single bullet in the head is a method of punishment. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks that Elçi's murder has proved the righteousness of the anti-terror fight manifests the fact that the AKP government kills civilians to legitimate its war and aggression policy."

Stressing that it has now become essential to form a democracy bloc to fight against the AKP, KCK called upon the Kurdish people, the peoples and democracy forces of Turkey to protest the AKP government in all areas as it keeps murdering civilians.