Tahir Elçi reminded us of his insistence on the pursuit of justice when he left a note in the Roboski diary two years before being massacred in Amed’s Sur district.

All corners of his heart were a monument of those lost. He struggled for this cause all his life. He made the struggle for everything that has a memory, not just the living, his way of life.

These words are undoubtedly for Tahir Elçi. The Four-Footed Minaret had called upon Tahir Elçi on the night of November 27: “They shot me in the feet, why don’t you come?” This call touched his heart, so much so that he said “We will make a statement there no matter what happens” as he left home the next day. He made the statement and passed away by the feet of the minaret on November 28.

A year has passed since. The cases he worked are ongoing; it is possible to see his traces at the scenes of massacres everywhere. One of these traces can be seen in the village of Roboski. One gets emotional when he/she reads the diary in Roboski village, where Tahir Elçi went to on December 10, 2013 World Human Rights Day to commemorate the 34 villagers that had been massacred just like he was.

Below are the words Elçi wrote on the diary two years ago:

“We are here with you on World Human Rights Day. We commemorate you with respect. We will be with your families in the struggle for justice and for the prosecution and punishment of your murderers.

Tahir Elçi / Diyarbakır Bar Association President.”