Amed's central Sur district remains under a state of siege and onslaught by Turkish military and police forces for over one month now. While the attacks with heavy arms result in a growing number of casualties every day, state forces are holding the bodies of some civilians they killed in the district.

Families of Ramazan Öğüt (16), İsa Oran (21) and Mesut Seviktek (25) have gone on hunger strike 3 days ago to get the bodies of their children from state forces.

While Amed branch of Human Rights Association (IHD) will apply to the Constitutional Court to end this dirty policy pursued against Kurdish people, families of Öğüt, Oran and Seviktek who spoke to ANF said they will not hesitate to go on a death fast even, if necessary.

'MESUT DIDN'T LEAVE HIS NEIGHBORHOOD'

Mesut Seviktek’s elder sister Güler Seviktek described her feelings as "I don't have any tear left to shed", telling the followings; "We are living in Sur's Hasırlı neighborhood which went under attack one month ago. Mesut, who works for a bakery, didn't leave the neighborhood though. He was murdered on 23 December, which we learned from our neighbors, and we try since to reclaim his body that remains outside for 14 days."

'WE WERE FORCED TO SIGN A PAPER'

Seviktek said every official they talked to has told them to "close the trenches in order to get the bodies" and sign a paper which read "the state is not responsible for any probability" if they wanted to go to the scene to retrieve the bodies. According to Seviktek, officials said bodies of some Turkish security forces also remain in the district and cannot be retrieved at the moment.

"If they are this much afraid of our dead bodies, why have they started this war?", said Mesut Seviktek’s elder sister, and called on the mothers of soldiers and police also to stand there by them and reclaim their children's bodies.

'MESUT MET THE STATE ATROCITY AT THE AGE OF 3'

Seviktek said this was not the first time they have been displaced by the state, telling; "We moved to Sur after soldiers burned our village in Lice to the ground in 1993. Today, we are being forced to go somewhere else as our house in Sur has also been bombed and demolished. My brother was three years old when he first met the state atrocity and he grew up in this atmosphere. He had previously been jailed for no reason, and now he has been killed."

'WE WILL GO ON DEATH FAST IF NECESSARY'

Seviktek’s sister said they will continue the struggle until they get the bodies, stressing that it is not possible for them to continue the daily life while the lifeless bodies of their beloved ones remain out on a street in this cold winter day.

"My brother was not cruel or mercenary like the state forces. We have always wanted peace up to this day. Yet, if they don't want peace, why should we? This war doesn't burn us alone, it will burn every single person."

WHERE ARE THE BODIES?

21-year-old İsa Oran's body is among the bodies still held by state forces. Oran was studying at Dokuz Eylül University in İzmir but turned back to his town Sur to stand by his people when attacks by state forces first began. Oran and Mesut were killed in the same neighborhood on the same day. Oran family, who live in Istanbul, rushed to Amed on hearing about the murder of their son. They have since been making efforts to get their son's body, and taking part in the hunger strike with other families for the last four days.

Referring to their talks with Turkish officials, mother Saide Oran said; "Some said us that my son's body is held at Yavuz Selim School, while some others said it is in Kurşunlu Mosque. They do not say anything clear but one thing is certain; bodies of our children are being held by the state."

Mother Oran told that they hadn't known the whereabouts of their son until they heard two months later that he was in Sur, and that he died. Criticizing the silence of the people in the west of Turkey, Oran said; "Our children wouldn't die if the west raised a voice today. I wounder what Emine Erdoğan (President's wife) would do if her child was killed and his body was left out on the street for 14 days."

'WHY IS THIS SILENCE WHILE WE SUFFER?'

16-year-old Ramazan Öğüt is another youth whose body has not been given to his family since he was killed in Sur on 31 December. His mother Elif Öğüt told the followings; "My child has died but I don't want any other children to die. My son was very young but he has suffered a lot. He was jailed at the age of 14. Why is this much silence while we suffer this much pain?"

APPLICATION TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

IHD Amed Branch Executive Abdullah Zeytin said they will apply to the Constitutional Court for the delivery of the bodies to families. Describing the situation as a crime against humanity, Zeytin called on everyone to raise a voice against this atrocity.