Details of Cizre massacre cannot be clarified due to the siege on the town, as the AKP government and its media continue to spoil the evidence on the massacre that targeted the basement where 52 wounded people and 10 dead bodies had been awaiting evacuation. In order to hide the scope of the massacre, Prime Minister Davutoğlu denied the state TV channel TRT’s news coverage and argued that Şırnak Governorate’s statement suggesting that ’10 terrorists were killed’ was the only accurate account. However, state forces’ act of locking Cizre State Hospital’s personnel in one room as they bring in dead bodies from the basement reveals state efforts to cover up the truth about the massacre.

PRIME MINISTER HIDES THE TRUTH, GUNMEN REVEAL IT

As government officials and pro-AKP media continue to give conflicting accounts on the number of people killed, the lack of news from the 52 people that had sought refuge in the basement as well as the photos state forces share on social media reveal the state’s role in the massacre that can be described as a crime against humanity. A twitter account called JITEM, belonging to one or multiple state forces, shared photos of the people burnt in the basement, and local sources confirm that the photos are authentic and reveal the lack of an armed confrontation during state forces’ attack.

WHERE ARE THE 10 DEAD AND 52 WOUNDED BODIES?

HDP Şırnak Parliamentarian Faysal Sarıyıldız announced that there were 10 dead bodies and 52 wounded people in the basement right before the massacre, and asked where all these people and dead bodies were today. Sarıyıldız noted that the neighborhood has been under the siege of state forces until now, and nobody could leave it without their knowledge.

TALK OF 25-30 PEOPLE KILLED IN ARMY RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

Sarıyıldız stated that they reached information on a conversation that took place in army radio communications, in which soldiers were talking about having killed 25-30 people. He said this conversation took place between a specialized sergeant and his friend, and was later leaked to the press. HDP MP also confirmed that the photos uploaded by JITEM and similar social media accounts belonging to state forces were in fact photos of the people massacred in the basement, and the number of total casualties was much more higher than 10 as announced by the Prime Minister Davutoğlu. Sarıyıldız emphasized that Turkey was committing serious crimes against humanity, and the pretense of an armed confrontation as well as the blockade in the area was aiming to avoid a prosecution in international war tribunals in the future.

31 PEOPLE IN THE FIRST BASEMENT

Lastly, Sarıyıldız recalled that the names of the 31 people in the first basement as well the photos of wounded people here were made public 20 days ago. He noted that on the day of the massacre, 15 of these people were wounded, 9 healthy and 7 dead. HDP MP said that the first basement, where the massacre took place, collapsed during state forces’ attacks, and the wounded people have been left to die in the rubbles of the basement. He ended his statements by describing the massacre as the most savage crime against humanity of our times.