The 34th anniversary of the death of Özgür Gündem’s Amed correspondent Hafız Akdemir, who was murdered by Hezbollah in the Sûr district of Amed (Diyarbakır) on 8 June 1992, is being marked.

 

Akdemir was killed in an armed attack while on his way to the newspaper’s Amed bureau. No progress was made in the investigation launched into his murder for eight years. Following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hüseyin Velioğlu, who was allegedly used by the state during the 1990s, in a villa in Istanbul’s Beykoz district on 17 January 2000, Akdemir’s murder was included among the 188 killings attributed to 31 defendants in the main Hezbollah trial before the Diyarbakır 6th High Criminal Court.

 

Cihan Yıldız, a Hezbollah member known by the code name “Hüseyin” and identified as the gunman, was captured by Interpol in Vienna, Austria, in 2008 and brought to Turkey. He was held responsible for 11 murders, including that of Akdemir. Following the trial, Yıldız was sentenced to life imprisonment for six murders and two armed injury offenses. However, he was later released together with other convicted Hezbollah members after 11 years in prison following a Constitutional Court ruling that found a violation of the right to a fair trial.

 

Veysi Polat, who was with Akdemir when he was killed, described his uncle as a gentle, disciplined and shy person who began publishing a magazine while in prison. Stating that Akdemir started working as a reporter for the newspaper Yeni Ülke after his release from prison, Polat said he also began working at his uncle’s request.

 

“I witnessed his diligence and productivity at the newspaper just as I had outside family life. He was an extremely courageous journalist,” he said.

 

‘WE CAME FACE TO FACE WITH THE KILLER’

 

Recalling the atmosphere of the 1990s in Kurdistan, when people were killed in the streets, villages were burned, and individuals were executed with shots to the back of the head, Polat said that Akdemir had been investigating allegations concerning a structure that was trained, supported and protected by the state, and that he was murdered during this period. “For this reason, he became one of the people targeted by the state,” Polat said.

 

Polat told what happened: “It was Monday, 8 June 1992. We were carrying out our routine work as usual. We lived in buildings facing each other in the Melik Ahmet neighborhood of İskender Paşa. We would meet at the door when leaving for work. That day he called me, I came downstairs and we left together. After walking about a hundred meters through the narrow streets of Sûr, a handcart was coming toward us. We moved to either side to let it pass. As soon as the cart passed and I turned toward my uncle, the gun went off. There was nothing suspicious beforehand. Hafız never saw his killer. The moment I turned toward him, the shot was fired.

 

We came face to face with the killer. I did not know where the bullet had hit. Hafız fell face down on the ground. As I moved toward the attacker, he fired another shot at me. He aimed at my feet, but he missed. I chased him, but he got away. Then I returned to where Hafız had fallen. A few people were already around him, and we took him to the hospital. He had been shot in the head and was bleeding heavily. His wound was very serious. They took him to intensive care and took me into custody. The statement procedures lasted a long time. Then came the news that my uncle had died after fighting for his life for three hours. He fell martyr at Dicle University Hospital at 12:30.”

 

‘I WAS NEVER CALLED TO COURT’

 

Criticizing the investigation and trial process, Polat said that despite being the only eyewitness, no court ever summoned him and no effective investigation was conducted. He stated that he learned of the killer’s arrest by chance through a breaking news report from a news agency. Stressing that the legal system had failed to prioritize eyewitness testimony and evidence, he said the investigation process did not meet expectations.

 

“In any legal system, when a crime is committed, eyewitnesses are heard first and evidence is collected. Despite being the sole eyewitness, I was unfortunately never called to testify during the lengthy trial process. I never confronted the killer, and I was never asked anything. The trial was conducted in our absence. Then the killer was released due to changes in the laws governing the State Security Courts,” he said.

 

‘TRUTH MUST BE REVEALED’

 

Polat said that justice has still not been served despite the decades that have passed since his uncle’s murder. Referring to the Department for the Investigation of Unsolved Crimes established within the Ministry of Justice, he pointed to the case of Hafız Akdemir and other killings committed across Kurdish regions.

 

“Kurdish people have experienced immense suffering in this geography. If there is to be social peace, it cannot be achieved without confronting the past, revealing the truth, and bringing some measure of relief to the families affected,” he said.