A new construction project has been launched in Newala Qesaba, where many people, including PKK members who were killed by the state or lost their lives on different dates, are buried in mass. Newala Qesaba, whose history has been adapted into several books and films, is located near the city centre of Siirt and covers an area of ​​405 decares, according to the Human Rights Association (IHD).

Numerous Armenians who were killed during the 1915 genocide are buried in Newala Qesaba. Also, many PKK members who lost their lives during the conflicts that broke out after the 1980s and people who were killed by the unofficial military anti-terror unit, JİTEM, are buried there collectively. A former prominent member of the PKK, Mahsum Korkmaz (Egît), is buried on the site. It is believed that the mortal remains of at least 300 Kurds are found there. However, the exact number is not known.

On April 22, 1989, the bones of 8 people were found after an excavation on the site. The excavation was stopped on the same day by an order of the governor's office, and no work has been conducted on the site since.

COLLECTIVE MEMORY

However, the site has been opened for construction over the years. A double highway was first built in the area, which has been turned into a garbage heap. Later, authorities gave permission for the construction of a wedding hall. Moreover, a Police Academy was established in the area. There is now a new project to build luxurious apartments and villas in the area where hundreds of Kurds and Armenians are buried. A signboard containing the details of the project has been erected at the entrance of the site. Dozens of villas, 8-storey buildings and swimming pools will be built as part of the project, undertaken by a company called War Yapı. A sales office, opened in the area where the buildings and villas will be built, is surrounded by iron barriers.

HISTORY OF THE SITE

Zana Aksu, a journalist and former Chair of IHD Siirt Branch, has long been working on the notorious massacres carried out around the site. Speaking to MA, Aksu revealed that the IHD Siirt Branch filed a criminal complaint in February 2011 for the protection of the site and against the former state officials responsible for the killings. “However, despite all the official applications, no official investigation has been launched, nor has Newala Qesaba been taken under protection. The case of the 8 bodies that were exhumed has not been clarified so far,” Aksu said.

'A SHAMEFUL ACT'

Aksu remarked that the new construction project was a shameful act. “There is a demand to build a monumental tomb. However, a police academy, a double highway and a wedding hall have already been built. It is unscrupulous to build luxurious villas in this area while people are looking for the mortal remains of their relatives. This decision should be abandoned immediately,” Aksu added.