Eighty five buried in unmarked graves in Batman
Eighty five buried in unmarked graves in Batman
According to the data provided by municipalities of Batman's Sason and Kozluk districts 85 “unidentified” persons were buried in unmarked graves in 1990s. Locals believe most bodies are of Kurds who were killed in custody or in clashes between Turkish army and the PKK.
After discovery of mass grave in Bitlis's Mutki district where 19 Kurdish guerrillas were buried relatives of the disappeared turned their eyes on unmarked graves.
In Turkey if a dead person can not be identified the body is buried in a separate graveyard which is usually called “Kimsesizler Mezarlýðý – Graveyard of the Orphans”. It's believed that Turkish contra-guerrilla units used these graveyards to bury their victims during the war against the PKK.
Sason mayor Muzaffer Arslan says the municipality's records show that 48 bodies believed to be of the PKK guerillas were buried in unmarked graves. Arslan says he also has the information that bones of 12 persons were buried in the area but he has no idea of the identities of the dead.
A municipality personnel who does not want to be named for security reasons claimed that the bones of 12 persons were taken to the graveyard in sacks and buried there.
The ex-public prosecutor of Sason, Meral Ýsmehogullari launched an investigation on unmarked graves in 1999 but she was appointed to Yaglidere distirict of Giresun, a small town in Northern Turkey, soon after.
Also in Kozluk there are 25 bodies in unmarked graves the mayor of Kozluk, M. Raschid Hashimi said. These bodies are also believed to be of PKK guerrillas.
A witness told ANF, a PKK guerrilla Kazim Celik (Ciya) was buried in Sason and another guerrilla Ayhan Oztekin (Devrim) was among the 48 guerrillas who was buried in Kozluk.
Also in Batman there are various claims of mass graves where killed PKK guerrillas were buried in the rural areas.
The local head of Human Rights Association (IHD) Osman Kuntes said they will appeal to state authorities to launch an investigation to identify the bodies.
The recent discovery of human bones in the Mutki district of Bitlis has brought renewed attention to mass graves in Kurdistan. Some are believed to have been killed after being detained by Turkish police, while other unidentified mass graves are thought to hold the remains of murdered members of the PKK. The ÝHD has been collecting information about places where mass graves may be located.
The Turkish Gendarmerie General Command on Tuesday broke its weeks-long silence on Mutki and said the bodies belonged to PKK members killed in clashes in 1999 and were buried after autopsies were performed with the knowledge of public prosecutors.
“The bodies were buried after the proper licenses were obtained,” the statement said.
The statement was deemed a “confession to the crime” by Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, co-leader Gülten Kýþanak, who called on doctors, police and the burial teams who had first hand knowledge of the original burials to come out and talk.
Mutki Mayor Mehmet Saik Birlik spoke to daily BirGün on Wednesday and said the bodies were buried with their clothes on, suggesting they had not been examined medically at all. The mayor said they would file criminal complaints against all relevant parties.
On the other hand another alleged mass grave in the Tatvan district of Bitlis province will soon be excavated, according to officials from the IHD.
Some 33 people are believed to lie in a grave called Geliye Karoka by locals in Tatvan, Sami Görendað, the IHD’s Van branch secretary, said. He added that the group was waiting for official procedures to be completed before excavation began.
After discovery of mass grave in Bitlis's Mutki district where 19 Kurdish guerrillas were buried relatives of the disappeared turned their eyes on unmarked graves.
In Turkey if a dead person can not be identified the body is buried in a separate graveyard which is usually called “Kimsesizler Mezarlýðý – Graveyard of the Orphans”. It's believed that Turkish contra-guerrilla units used these graveyards to bury their victims during the war against the PKK.
Sason mayor Muzaffer Arslan says the municipality's records show that 48 bodies believed to be of the PKK guerillas were buried in unmarked graves. Arslan says he also has the information that bones of 12 persons were buried in the area but he has no idea of the identities of the dead.
A municipality personnel who does not want to be named for security reasons claimed that the bones of 12 persons were taken to the graveyard in sacks and buried there.
The ex-public prosecutor of Sason, Meral Ýsmehogullari launched an investigation on unmarked graves in 1999 but she was appointed to Yaglidere distirict of Giresun, a small town in Northern Turkey, soon after.
Also in Kozluk there are 25 bodies in unmarked graves the mayor of Kozluk, M. Raschid Hashimi said. These bodies are also believed to be of PKK guerrillas.
A witness told ANF, a PKK guerrilla Kazim Celik (Ciya) was buried in Sason and another guerrilla Ayhan Oztekin (Devrim) was among the 48 guerrillas who was buried in Kozluk.
Also in Batman there are various claims of mass graves where killed PKK guerrillas were buried in the rural areas.
The local head of Human Rights Association (IHD) Osman Kuntes said they will appeal to state authorities to launch an investigation to identify the bodies.
The recent discovery of human bones in the Mutki district of Bitlis has brought renewed attention to mass graves in Kurdistan. Some are believed to have been killed after being detained by Turkish police, while other unidentified mass graves are thought to hold the remains of murdered members of the PKK. The ÝHD has been collecting information about places where mass graves may be located.
The Turkish Gendarmerie General Command on Tuesday broke its weeks-long silence on Mutki and said the bodies belonged to PKK members killed in clashes in 1999 and were buried after autopsies were performed with the knowledge of public prosecutors.
“The bodies were buried after the proper licenses were obtained,” the statement said.
The statement was deemed a “confession to the crime” by Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, co-leader Gülten Kýþanak, who called on doctors, police and the burial teams who had first hand knowledge of the original burials to come out and talk.
Mutki Mayor Mehmet Saik Birlik spoke to daily BirGün on Wednesday and said the bodies were buried with their clothes on, suggesting they had not been examined medically at all. The mayor said they would file criminal complaints against all relevant parties.
On the other hand another alleged mass grave in the Tatvan district of Bitlis province will soon be excavated, according to officials from the IHD.
Some 33 people are believed to lie in a grave called Geliye Karoka by locals in Tatvan, Sami Görendað, the IHD’s Van branch secretary, said. He added that the group was waiting for official procedures to be completed before excavation began.
