Dersim and Çemiþgezek Branches of political parties, Bar Association and NGOs’ have applied to the Çemizgezek Public Prosecutor to obtain permission to open a mass grave where 19 PKK members are thought to have been buried together in Çemiþgezek following an armed clash on April 1, 1997.

Dersim Bar Association Chair Fatma Kalsen underlined the many allegations about mass graves in Dersim which are still waiting to be answered to and condemned the government for not trying to reveal the truths.

“We have never accepted “no” as an answer since we have learned that our children were lying there. We, as all families of 19 PKK members, are asking a grave stone for each one of them. We will not quit fighting for it,” added Kalsen.

The Malatya Special Authorized Public Prosecutor rejected a previous petition by the families of the victims. Interestingly, the prosecutor did not deny the mass grave’s existence when deciding not to open an investigation about it.

According to the Malatya prosecutor, there is no element of crime because the authorities couldn’t find the families of the bodies and buried them appropriately.

On the contrary, the families’ lawyer stated that accepting that the grave exists is enough give permission to open it.