MÊRDÎN — The bodies of 16 people who lost their lives during the curfews in Nisêbîn have still not been returned to their families, despite a decade having passed. Salih Kuday, Co-Chair of MEBYADER, said authorities appear to be trying to push families into a situation where they would stop demanding the return of the bodies.

 

The peace process aimed at resolving the Kurdish issue between 2013 and 2015 collapsed after Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that the process had been “put in the freezer.” Following this statement, conflict escalated again under what was known as the “Collapse Plan,” implemented between August 16, 2015 and March 18, 2016.

 

During that period, Kurdish demands for “self-governance” were suppressed through military operations and curfews imposed in seven provinces and 35 districts. At least 310 civilians were killed and around 1.64 million people were affected, while thousands of human rights violations were documented.

 

Curfews were imposed in districts including Kerboran (Dargeçit), Dêrik (Derik), and Nisêbîn in Mêrdîn (Mardin); Cizîr (Cizre), Silopîya (Silopi), and Hezex (İdil) in Şirnex; Farqîn (Silvan) and Sur in Amed; Gever (Yüksekova) in Colemerg (Hakkari); and Gimgim (Varto) in Mûş (Muş).

 

One of the most destructive curfew periods occurred in Nisêbîn, where restrictions first began in August 2015 and were imposed eight times. The eighth curfew started on March 14, 2016. Although clashes ended on May 26, 2016, the restrictions were only partially lifted on July 25, 2016 and completely removed on April 21, 2018.

 

Thousands of homes were destroyed and large parts of the city were reduced to rubble. At least 25 civilians were killed during the curfews. According to prosecutors’ records, 69 police officers, soldiers, and village guards and 51 members of YPS and YPS/Jin were also killed in the clashes.

 

According to MEBYADER, 83 bodies were recovered in the district during the curfew period. At least 70 people who survived the clashes were later imprisoned with heavy sentences, while investigations into the killing of civilians were largely left unresolved.

 

DNA MATCHING FOR 16 BODIES STILL NOT COMPLETED

 

Many of the bodies recovered from the district were buried in cemeteries for the unidentified in Mêrdîn, Riha (Urfa) and Meletî (Malatya). Over time, some were returned to their families.

 

However, the remains of 16 people who died in Nisêbîn during the curfews are still being held at the Kamor City Cemetery in the Artuklu district of Mêrdîn. Authorities say the bodies have not been returned because DNA identification has not yet been completed.

 

‘WE BELIEVE THERE ARE BODIES BENEATH TOKİ BUILDINGS’

 

Speaking to Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Kuday said the conflict that followed the collapse of the peace process brought heavy destruction to Nisêbîn. “After the clashes, housing complexes were built by TOKİ. We believe there are still bodies beneath these buildings. Many families have not been able to reach the remains of their relatives for this reason,” he said.

 

Kuday added that 16 unidentified bodies remain in cemeteries for the unidentified while families continue to search for their relatives. “We try to support families in the legal process of identifying DNA samples. But many families still cannot reach their loved ones. In some places where it was said bodies were buried, we later saw apartment buildings constructed on top. For us, this is a matter of shame,” he said.

 

‘BODIES MUST BE RETURNED TO THEIR FAMILIES’

 

Kuday stressed that every person has the right to burial and every family has the right to mourn: “Families are still searching for their relatives. We call on families who have not yet contacted us to reach out. We are ready to support them in every way.”

 

He noted that DNA test results can take years, recalling that it took more than a year and a half to receive results for the blood samples he and his wife provided for their own son.

 

He said: “DNA results take extremely long, and there seems to be an intention to exhaust families so that they eventually stop demanding the bodies. But no matter how much time passes, families continue to struggle to find even a piece of what remains of their children.”

 

Kuday called on the state to take steps to return the bodies to families so they can bury them according to religious traditions and properly mourn their relatives.

 

He concluded: “Even when families know where a body is buried, it can take years before it is returned. There is no such situation anywhere else in the world. If there is to be sincerity in the renewed process, the state must take steps to return these bodies.”

 

MA / Ahmet Kanbal - Heval Önkol