Thousands joined a commemoration ceremony for 34 Kurdish citizens, who were bombed by Turkish F-16s at the border near Roboski village of Şırnak's Qilaban (Uludere) district on 28 December 2011.

The commemoration for victims of the Roboski massacre, 19 of whom were minors, was organised this year by Roboski-Der, HDP and DBP Qilaban branches under the main slogan “Self-rule against massacres, peace against war”. The ceremony has been dedicated to Amed Bar President Tahir Elçi, also a lawyer for Roboski families, who was killed near the Foor-Footed Minaret in the heart of Amed city one month ago.

HDP deputies Meral Danış Beştaş, Osman Baydemir, Erdal Ataş, Mehmen Ali Aslan and Alican Önlü are among the thousands who attended the commemoration to mark the fourth anniversary.

'IMPUNITY OF PERPETRATORS RESULT IN MORE MASSACRES'

Reading a press release on behalf of Roboski families, Narin Ant called attention to the fact that state forces are committing more massacres every day due to the ongoing impunity of perpetrators. Ant said; "We know from Roboski that human life is very cheap in Turkey. As part of the ongoing massacres in the Kurdish region, dozens of youths, children and women are being murdered on streets under curfew. Bodies of mothers remain on the street for days, and even yet unborn babies are killed. Our towns Sur, Cizir, Nisêbîn, Kerboran and Silopiya are being targeted by tank and artillery strikes, which kill more people every passing day."

Ant continued; "We know from the murder of Tahir Elçi that those who massacred our brothers and husbands in Roboski are killing more people of us in different areas every day. The state massacres people and perpetrators remain untried and unpunished. Yet, we will abandon neither our struggle nor our seek for justice."

ROBOSKİ MOTHERS: WE SALUTE THOSE RESISTING BEHIND TRENCHES

Speaking on behalf of Roboski mothers, Felek Encü said; "I salute those who are resisting bravely behind trenches today. I am a mother of not only Roboski victims but also of all the martyrs of Kurdistan. From Kobanê to Suruç, from Cizîr to Amed, I salute all those resisting. We are not afraid of the state which should fear us and mothers instead. We will never give up the struggle."

FERHAT ENCÜ: WE WILL NEVER BOW

HDP Şırnak MP Ferhat Encü, a relative of many Roboski victims with the same surname, sent a message from Silopi district where he remains together with the people under a curfew and onslaught by state forces.

Encü stressed that the state wants to make the Kurdish people bow by committing massacres against them, adding; "Yet, we will never bow to them. From the areas of self-rule, from a town where more massacres like Roboski are being committed, I once again commemorate all the victims and promise to keep their struggle going."

Following the speeches, the mass started to walk to the graveyard of 34 victims of Roboski massacre, a bleeding wound in the heart of the Kurdish people.