Cezmi Budak who was killed by soldiers while acting as a human shield against the operation of the Turkish army at Mountain Tendürek in Ağrı yesterday has been laid to rest today. Budak’s funeral was attended by thousands of people condemning the attacks of the Turkish army.

Speaking at the funeral, DBP co-chair Kamuran Yüksek directed the following question to the military; “What were you doing in the guerrilla zones on 10 April night? Against which threat, which situation did you launch the operation?”

Thousands bid farewell in Diyadin to former DBP Diyadin co-chair who went to the scene of an operation by the Turkish army as a human shield and lost his life as a result of the fire opened by soldiers from helicopter.

Following a religious ceremony at his house, Budak’s coffin was taken to the district cemetery on the shoulders of people accompanied by thousands chanting slogans “Murderer state”, “Murderer Erdoğan”. The funeral ceremony was also attended by DBP co-chair Kamuran Yüksek as well as many DBP executives, Agrı co-mayors Sırrı Sakık, Mukeddes Kubilay and thousands of local people. The shopkeepers in the district also took the shutters down today in protest at the killing.
Speaking after the burial of Budak, Ağrı co-mayor Sırrı Sakık said; “The Turkish state has once again the blood of the Kurdish people in its hands”, strongly responding to the statement of the Turkish General Staff. “The army says that the soldiers will remain there against pressure on people before the elections. We do not need votes to be gained in this manner and we will not allow them to kill our children for their ruling. We are here for the attainment of peace in these lands.”

Sakık remarked that the Turkish army should have instead thanked the people who went to the area as a human shields to prevent clashes and casualties.

Speaking after, DBP co-chair Kamurak Yüksek called Budak “martyr of peace”, stressing that the Turkish government and the president are putting provocations and war plans into play to secure their ruling.

Yüksek said 250 soldiers supervised by 15 military officers infiltrated and 15 soldiers were airdropped into guerrilla zones at the night of 10 April and asked “What were you doing in the guerrilla zones? Against which threat, which situation did you launch the operation?”

Yüksek said Cezmi Budak who had gone there as a human shed to prevent further incidents was killed there together with a guerrilla. He also pointed out that 8 soldiers wounded there were kept waiting at the scene till the evening, adding that it was the civilians from Diyadin who saved the soldiers from death there.

Yüksek said those 15 soldiers were sent there to be killed, as has also been proved by their remarks in video images, adding; “The AKP government and Erdoğan had obviously planned to send the dead bodies of these 15 soldiers to different cities of Turkey this morning. It is the Turkish government and army that sent them to death and abandoned them there, and the people of Ağrı that saved their lives and prevented a great provocation.”

Following the funeral, the crowd marched to Budak's house in Ketenpınar neighbourhood.