ŞIRNEX - Gurbet Mete, who lost her son, sister-in-law and brother during the curfews in Silopi and Cizîr, says, "They did not allow us to bury my son's body for 27 days. We will not forget even if a hundred years pass".
It has been 10 years since the curfew was declared on 14 December 2015 in Silopi district of Şirnex (Şırnak). After the curfew was declared, Başak, Cudi, Nuh and Ş. Harun Boy neighbourhoods were blockaded. 29 people, including children, women and elderly people, died as a result of the fire opened by the police and soldiers. In addition to the deaths, thousands of people had to migrate to different places.
According to the report prepared by the Human Rights Association (IHD) after the curfew; 350 buildings and workplaces were damaged and destroyed during the 35-day curfew. During the clashes in the district, water pipes were burst and electricity and internet lines were cut.
LOST 3 RELATIVES
Investigations into the deaths of those who lost their lives during the curfew have not yielded any results. While some of the investigations were declared non-prosecution, others are kept on dusty shelves. Although 10 years have passed since the curfews, the events are still fresh in the minds. Gurbet Mete lost her 9-year-old son Mehmet Mete and her son-in-law Aydın Mete (16) during the curfew in Silopi. Gurbet Mete lost her 20-year-old brother Şükrü Coşkun during the curfew in Cizîr (Cizre) in the same period.
'MY SON WAS A 9-YEAR-OLD BOY'
Describing the events of that period as "persecution", Gurbet Mete stated that her son was targeted and murdered. "After the curfew was declared, we wanted to go to the village, but my son Mehmet did not want us to go. So we stayed at my in-laws' house in Silopiya. A week after the curfew, Mehmet was murdered. Fragments of a mortar hit his head and he died inside the house. He was not in a position and he was not fighting, he was a 9-year-old little boy. When he was killed, we called the state authorities and asked for an ambulance, but they did not send one. They told us, 'You will bring the body to a certain point and then we will take it by ambulance, but we are not responsible if you die'. So we took the body to the neighbourhood mosque," Gurbet Mete said.
THE BODY STAYED IN THE MOSQUE FOR 27 DAYS
Gurbet Mete reminded that his son's body remained in the mosque for 27 days and said: "His body remained on the ground for 27 days. The state did not allow us to bury his body. When the situation here worsened, we went to the village. 11 days after we went to the village, the authorities called us and said 'come and get your body, otherwise we will bury it without showing it to you'. We buried the body after the ban was lifted. They were even digging the graves of our children. Along with my son, my daughter-in-law's son Aydın was also murdered. We buried them both together."
BROTHER ALSO SHOT IN CIZÎR
Gurbet Mete stated that while she was going through the pain of her son, she received the news that her brother Şükrü Coşkun was shot during the curfew in Cizîr, "9 days after the death of my son, my brother was also killed in Cizîr. The authorities buried his body in Şirnex. As his family, we took him to Cizre after the ban and buried him in Cizîr. There was nothing they did not put us through. They did not even allow us to see my brother's body. We were not allowed to cry and mourn," she said.
'WE WILL NOT FORGET'
Stating that they will continue their struggle for justice against oppression, Gurbet Mete continued as follows: "They massacred us. This pain is the pain of all mothers. Our children were massacred, but we call for peace so that other children are not massacred. 10 years have passed, but it is as if it is new. However, justice has not come until now. But even if a century passes, we will not forget and we will not give up our cause."
MA / Zeynep Durgut