Bar associations: A grave crime against humanity was committed in Roboski

Bar associations in the Kurdish region vow to continue their struggle with the determination to reveal the truth about the Roboski massacre and to ensure justice, inviting all administrative and judicial units to take action in accordance with the law.

12 bar associations in North Kurdistan made a joint statement on the 13th anniversary of the  massacre in Roboski village in Uludere district of Şırnak province. The bombardment by Turkish jets on 28 December 2011 resulted in the death of 34 civilians, including 17 minors.

"The images of dismembered bodies wrapped in blankets carried on the backs of mules remain unforgettable in our memory. An effective judicial and administrative investigation process could not be carried out into this grave crime against humanity. The practice of impunity manifested itself in this massacre in all its aspects and the perpetrators have been clearly protected,” said the joint statement by bar associations on Saturday.

The statement stressed that the decisions made by the Turkish Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights regarding the applications over “a clear violation of the right to life” in the massacre cited “formal deficiencies” and generated a picture of shame in the name of human rights and law.

"The fact that the investigative authorities drew the conclusion of an 'inevitable mistake' as a result of a reluctant and ineffective investigation process for more than 3 years and the 'Uludere Sub-Commission', formed within the Human Rights Investigation Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, concluded that there was 'no evidence of intentional act’ is an indication that the truth behind the massacre of 34 people is wanted to be left in dark abysses by the judicial and political authorities.

The file is currently pending before the Constitutional Court as an individual application against the decision of rejection made upon a request for reversal for the sake of law. The Constitutional Court can put an end to this injustice by issuing a judgement in line with its raison d'être of protecting the right to life. Failure to deliver justice continues to wound consciences, polarise society and undermine confidence in the law. We reiterate once again that we will continue our struggle with determination to reveal the truth about the Roboski massacre and to ensure justice, and we invite all administrative and judicial units to take action in accordance with the law. We have not forgotten Roboski, we will not forget it.”

The signatory bar associations are as follows: Ağrı , Adıyaman, Batman, Diyarbakır, Siirt, Van, Mardin, Urfa, Muş, Şırnak, Tunceli and Hakkari.