HDP Urfa deputy İbrahim Ayhan has responded to the district governor of Suruç who said “such an incident did not take place at the border”, regarding the killing of Kader Ortakaya, who was intentionally targeted by the Turkish soldiers. Ayhan was at the border area when Ortakaya was shot dead and said: “It all happened in front of my eyes. The soldiers opened fire behind them without any warning while they were crossing the border. They were civilians. She was blatantly executed”.

Suruç district governor Abdullah Çiftçi made a statement regarding the killing of Kader Ortakaya, who was shot in the head when soldiers opened fire on the eastern side of the Kobanê-Suruç border yesterday. The district governor alleged that such an incident had not taken place at the border. Çiftçi said he had talked to the military authorities about the intervention of the soldiers and alleged that guns were not used in the intervention, but only pepper gas had been fired on the people.

Çiftçi said: “the soldiers intervened by firing gas bombs when the group waiting at the border threw stones at the soldiers. The soldiers by no means carried out an armed attack. No bullets were fired. There is also no information or evidence proving that she was shot at the border. Such an incident has certainly not taken place at our border. Most probably that person was shot inside Kobanê”.

The first response to the statements of the governor came from HDP Urfa deputy İbrahim Ayhan. Ayhan said the district governor’s statement is a “classic state explanation”, adding that “I was there during the incident. It all happened in front of my eyes. While they were crossing the border, soldiers opened fire and used gas bombs behind their back. We didn’t hear any warning. They were just going to Kobanê. They were civilians. They turned their backs to the soldiers. They were not heading towards the soldiers”.

Ayhan stressed that Ortakaya was intentionally targeted and said “She was clearly executed”.

Ayhan said he was together with the artists who were making a statement at the border while Ortakkaya was shot, adding that the soldiers fired gas bombs at their group as well without any warning, injuring many people.

Concerning the statement of the governor, the HDP deputy said: “what we are witnessing is again one of the classic explanations. The state authorities always do it. The ISIS gangs ceaselessly use the same border line even armed. The footage showing soldiers in dialogue, in relations with the gang members, have been broadcasted many times. The soldiers enter into a dialogue with the armed gangs and launch armed attack against civilians having no guns. The people who resist against the attacks of ISIS in Kobanê, and those who support them, are frequently exposed to police and soldiers’ attacks, spreading terror.

Ayhan further said that the government is still supporting and tolerating the ISIS gangs, adding that these policies serve only to deepen the crisis and the conflict as well as harming the country. Ayhan said the most correct thing that the government should do is to recognize the will of the people in Kobanê and to be an ally of the Kurds against the savage gangs.

Ayhan recalled that they have submitted a parliamentary question regarding the killing of Ortakaya and vowed to follow up the issue until the end both judicially and politically.