HDP proposal for the Parliament to investigate Roboskî Massacre

HDP has submitted a proposal to the Parliament to investigate the Roboskî Massacre.

HDP Şırnak MP Aycan İrmez has submitted a parliamentary proposal to investigate the Roboskî Massacre on its anniversary.

The reason portion of the proposal states the following:

“From the founding of the Republic to this day, the Kurdish people have suffered countless tragedies and have been subjected to suffering that will remain in the collective memory for centuries. One of these tragedies is 34 civilians (including 19 children) losing their lives in the Turkish Armed Forces jets’ bombing of Şırnak’s Uludere district on December 28, 2011. Impunity on this incident marked on collective memory as the Roboskî Massacre is a concrete example of how far low Turkey’s legal system has been dragged by the government’s hands. After the Roboskî Massacre, the then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said this massacre would not get lost in the back corridors of Ankara and that it would be brought to light no matter what it would cost. In the six years since, there has been no developments regarding this massacre.

“PROOF OF DELIBERATION”

During this time, a Subcommission for Uludere has been founded under the Parliament’s Human Rights Inquiry Commission on January 11, 2012 to investigate the Roboskî Massacre. On May 23, 2012, the then-Minister of Interior Affairs Idris Naim Sahin stated that the commanders in the Air Force in Ankara who analyzed the footage had ordered the bombing. On August 5, 2012, the Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the Predator footage published earlier by the Wall Street Journal which shows discernible villagers. The fact that the National Security Council convened on the day of the massacre of December 28, 2011 and that the MİT had informed the General Staff before the massacre is proof that the incident happened within the bounds of the chain of command and has been implemented deliberately.

On June 11, 2013, the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office declared themselves without authority or duty on the investigation case on the Roboskî Massacre and passed the case on to the General Staff Military Prosecutor’s Office. Later on January 7, 2014, the General Staff Military Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the case of 34 civilians dying in a bombing. The reason was that the “TAF staff acted within the bounds of decrees by the Parliament and the Cabinet, with the approval of the General Staff.”

On September 20, 2015, documents leaked to the press showed allegations by the Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor’s Office that the MİT “hid the facts from the Prosecutor’s Office”.

In the Roboskî Massacre, it is blatantly clear that the government and the state has completely turned away from public conscience and common sense regarding the point we are at legally. The perpetrators of the massacre not being put on trial in 2011 has paved the way for new massacres. On May 29, 2016, when the Roboskî Massacre was still in the dark and its pain still fresh, Roboski residents were shot at by Howitzers from the Gülyazı outpost on their way from border trade, and another massacre was implemented in the same area. Like in the first massacre, no ambulances were sent to the scene and the wounded had to be transported by tractors. As the image of dead bodies carried on the backs of mules were fresh in memory, 2 more civilians were killed in the same area.

“INSTEAD OF STEPS TO EASE CONSCIENCES...”

Following the July 15 coup attempt, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak implied that the putschists were responsible for the Roboskî Massacre, which allowed for a basis to assess the Roboskî Massacre within the framework of political alliances from 2011.

Unfortunately, instead of taking steps to investigate the murders of Roboskî and ease public conscience, the government has taken HDP Şırnak MP and relative of Roboski victims Ferhat Encü hostage in prison. This hostage situation is a political continuation of the death of 34 civilians in the aerial operation of December 28, 2011.

What happened in Roboskî is directly related to the Kurdish issue, the largest problem in Turkey. Shedding light on the massacre will contribute to social peace.

“ICC CALLS FOR A MULTIFACETED INVESTIGATION”

Even though the incident has been pushed under covers by a confidentiality order first, a dismissal second and a final non-prosecution, the insolubility of the issue has political and social risks that the country may face. For that very reason, what happened in Roboskî should be faced with an understanding of universal justice. There are clear clauses on the clear violation of security forces against civilians on the day of December 28 with regards to international law in the Geneva Convention. According to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which Turkey needs to be party to as soon as possible, it is also imperative that there be a multifaceted investigation.”

“MUST BE BROUGHT TO LIGHT WITHOUT DELAY”

Irmez stressed that the word “massacre” used in their proposals regarding the Roboskî Massacre being considered “rude and hurtful” and returned by the Parliamentary Presidency does not negate the fact that 34 civilians have been massacred.

“As a requirement of social harmony, conscience and the rule of law, the Roboskî Massacre must be brought to light without delay,” said HDP Şırnak MP Aycan Irmez and added the following:

“A transparent and neutral investigation of the Roboskî Massacre, which is one of the most significant massacres of the recent history of Turkey and has created social and conscientious outrage in a very large portion of the country, is vital. In this context, we urgently demand a Parliamentary Inquiry with the purpose of finding the perpetrators who caused the deaths of the massacred citizens in Roboski, investigating the massacre with all its aspects and determining which precautions need to be taken.”