The people of Roboski are commemorating the victims of the massacre of 28 December 2011. 34 civilians, including 17 minors, were killed 13 years ago near the village in Uludure district of Şırnak by a targeted air strike by the Turkish army. To date, no one has been held accountable for this brutal crime. ‘Roboski is the bleeding wound of Kurdistan,’ is the slogan of this year's commemoration.

The memorial service took place at the Roboski village cemetery and began with a minute's silence for the victims of the massacre. Many people travelled from other provinces to attend the commemoration. Among them were numerous representatives from politics and civil society, including the leaders of the DEM Party, DBP, EMEP and EHP parties, leading members of the CHP, as well as representatives of the KESK trade union federation and various bar associations. After prayers together, several speeches were held.

Halime Encü: We had to collect the body parts of our loved ones

Halime Encü, who lost her son Serhat in the attack, spoke movingly and unequivocally on behalf of the Roboski families: “Thirteen years have passed since the massacre, but to this day no one at the political level has claimed responsibility. The bodies of 34 people, including children, were blown apart by the bombs of this state. We had to collect the body parts of our loved ones. It was a massacre on many levels, for which we demand justice.”

‘We want an end to this mentality, which is geared towards death and war. We want a free life beyond the fear of new massacres, a life of equality, dignity and fraternity. The gates of the prisons must be opened and the prisoners released. The tears of the mothers must finally dry., I hope that the oppressors and murderers experience the same,’ said Halime Encü, whose speech was followed by long shouts of “Şehîd namirin” (Martyrs are immortal).

Seyit Aslan: There can be no equality and justice if justice is not done

Seyit Aslan, Chairman of the Labour Party (EMEP), said: “It is not possible to talk about equality and justice if the mentality that murdered 34 Kurds in Roboski does not provide justice here, if tens of thousands of Kurds are imprisoned, if those who exercised their democratic rights for the Kobanê protests are imprisoned for decades. It is not possible to talk about peace and justice if there are still cross-border operations and threats against the democratic rights of the Kurdish people in Syria.”

Listing concrete steps for a solution to the Kurdish question, Aslan said that the occupation attacks must end and prisoners must be released.

Kural: If you want to see inequality and discrimination, look at the bodies of the victims

Sanem Deniz Kural, member of the Central Executive Committee (MYK) of the Labour Movement Party (EHP), said: “Not a single person was prosecuted, sentenced or dismissed. The political power says there is no inequality and discrimination. If you want to see inequality and discrimination, you can see it by looking at the bodies of 34 people lined up side by side.”

Gök: They are trying to erase it from your memory

CHP member Levent Gök said, “Those who took that decision are still working for the state today. The top-level officials of the state are trying to cover up the incident with a joint responsibility, they are trying to obscure it and erase it from your memory.”

Fındık: The perpetrators will be held accountable sooner or later

Şırnak Bar Association President Abdullah Fındık said: “Today our hearts are broken, our consciences are wounded. As long as justice does not come to Roboski, no one should talk about the rule of law. Things will change, and the perpetrators will be held accountable sooner or later. The case is now at the ECtHR. We are hopeful, the perpetrators will not get away with it.”

Güleç: We stand by the families

Diyarbakır Bar Association President Abdulkadir Güleç said, “As the Diyarbakır Bar Association, we stand by the families and will continue the legal struggle.”

Bayram: An unending mourning, an unrelenting pain in Roboski

Ali Bayram, Member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Bar Associations of Turkey (TBB), said: “For 13 years there has been an unending mourning, an unrelenting pain in Roboski, where people were deprived of their most natural right to see and hear the truth. We, the TBB, will follow the case until justice comes to these lands and we will fight for it.”

Bayındır: Roboski is the case of all Kurds and Kurdistan

Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır said, “Our mothers should know that the case for justice for 34 people is not only the case of the mothers of Roboski, but the case of all Kurds and Kurdistan. The Roboski Massacre was neither the first massacre against our people nor the last. For 100 years, massacres against the Kurdish people have been carried out in and around Roboski. Now they want to continue these massacres.”

Bayındır recalled the ‘33 bullets’ massacre in Özalp district of Van in July 1943, when 33 people were shot extrajudicially on the allegation of animal smuggling, resulting in the deaths of 32 of them and the escape of one. The massacre was perpetrated on the orders of the commander of the 3rd Army, General Mustafa Muğlalı.

“Muğlalı massacred 33 people. He was imprisoned for only 2 months. Since that day, none of those who committed crimes against humanity have been prosecuted. They have not even been investigated. This shows us one thing: ‘Whatever you do against the Kurdish people, whatever crimes you commit, our laws will protect you’. This is also the case in Roboski. The 10 October Train Station (Ankara) massacre is the same. The 5 June Amed (Diyarbakır) massacre is the same, as is the Suruç massacre. Yes, our hearts are broken, but we will protect their legacy. We will continue our struggle until freedom is achieved in the land we live in.”

Bakırhan: You cannot solve these problems with massacres

The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan described the Roboski massacre as a ‘small reflection’ of the Kurdish issue. “And as long as justice is not served, as long as those responsible are not prosecuted, there will be no solution to the Kurdish question.”

Appealing to the state, Bakırhan said: “For 100 years you have carried out massacres against many social groups in Turkey, especially Kurds. You cannot solve these problems with massacres and unsolved murders, you could not. You could not and cannot solve the Kurdish issue with these outposts and military stations. Kurds have been living in these lands for thousands of years. They want to exist with their own identity, language and beliefs. They want to live as equal citizens. See this reality. Look, our mothers have been commemorating their children and brothers and sisters here for 13 years with unrelenting anger and unending pain. They are following their case. Roboski does not end when you ignore it. You claim that there is no murder and massacre in the dark depths of Ankara, but these are invalid here. The perpetrators of this massacre must be prosecuted and brought to justice as soon as possible. Roboski is the Kurdish question, and the Kurdish question cannot be solved without the perpetrators being tried.”

'You are not alone'

Dear mothers, we promise you. Even if they ignore this case on the grounds of various procedures, we will follow this case. You are not alone. Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Alevis, democratic public opinion are with you. We will fight and stand with you until justice is done, until the perpetrators are sentenced, until the state faces these massacres. We will continue our struggle to carry Turkey to a democratic and enlightened ground where Kurds are equal citizens. We are with you, we share your pain. We will carry this pain in our hearts until this issue is resolved.”