After a decade, relatives regained access to the cemetery of martyrs in the region of Mount Bagok in Mardin and discovered severe damage to the graves of guerrilla fighters.
In Mardin, citizens visited the graves of PKK members located on Mount Bagok on the occasion of Eid al-Adha on Thursday. The visit was organized by MEBYADER (Association for Aid and Solidarity with Families Who Lost Their Loved Ones in the Cradle of Civilizations).
The “Bagok Cemetery of Martyrs,” which had been off-limits since 2015 on the grounds that it was an “operation zone,” was visited yesterday for the first time in 10 years. The visitors found the entrance of the cemetery and gravestones bombed and devastated.
Speaking at the cemetery, MEBYADER Co-Chair Gurbet Tekin said, “Those who want to see what has been done to the Kurds should come and see the state of this cemetery. Even our graves have been savagely attacked, and all our graves have been destroyed. We do not accept this. We will continue to fight against this brutal system everywhere.”
Abdulselam Turan, co-chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) organization in Mardin, said, "For years, they left the Kurds with no choice but to resist. The Kurds resisted and made it to this day. The struggle of the Kurds from Sheikh Said to the present day is clear for all to see. Those who wish to see the justification for this struggle should come and see the state of this cemetery. The Kurds never sought war, but the occupying forces left no other option. What has been done in this cemetery is sufficient to expose all that has occurred."
