ISTANBUL - Perişan Aydın, the mother of Meki Aydın, a PKK member whose remains were stolen from Xerzan Cemetery and never recovered, said the state has refused to acknowledge her son’s death. For years, she has been fighting to prove that her son was killed and to recover his remains.

 

Xerzan Cemetery, which contains the graves of PKK members, is located in the village of Oleka Jor in the central district of Bedlîs. The cemetery has been attacked several times, including between December 8 and 17, 2017. In the aftermath, the remains of 267 PKK members were removed from the cemetery and buried beneath pavements in Kilyos, in Istanbul’s Sarıyer district. Bitlis Governor’s Office subsequently imposed entry bans on both the cemetery and the village. The cemetery remained inaccessible throughout the ban and was filmed for the first time in eight years by Mezopotamya Agency (MA) on June 17, 2025. Nine years after the remains were stolen, only 30 have been returned to their families. The fate of the remaining 237 remains unknown. Families continue their efforts to find and recover their loved ones’ remains.

 

The fate of Meki Aydın (Mahsun), who was killed in a landmine explosion in Xîzan (Hizan), Bedlîs, in 1993, also remains unknown. His mother, Perişan Aydın, and his brother, Metin Aydın, spoke about their long-running struggle to find his remains.

 

Metin Aydın said his brother joined the PKK in April 1992, adding: “My brother was martyred in 1993 when a landmine exploded in the Dara Bûyê area of Lerzêk Plateau (Lerzek) in Xîzan. The friends who were with him at the time buried him. They tried several times to let us know, but they were unable to find a way. That is why we did not learn of his death that year. In 1993, we experienced what we call the Agorê incident. A large number of guerrillas were martyred in Agorê (Yoğurtlu) village as a result of state attacks. Some were also wounded and arrested. The four guerrillas who were arrested were among those who had been with my brother when he was martyred and had buried him. That is how we know that my brother was killed. When the Xerzan Martyrs’ Cemetery was established, the graves of all the guerrillas known to have been buried in the area were moved there. We were not there at the time, but villagers told us that my brother’s grave had also been moved there. They even said that his gravestone bore the name of the place where he was martyred, ‘Dara Bûyê.’ We learned all of this through our own efforts and from information we received.”

 

CLAIM THAT HE HAD VOTED

 

Aydın said they filed a case to have his brother legally declared dead after Xerzan Cemetery was attacked and the remains were taken away. He said: “We went to court twice in Xîzan. The court asked us to provide a statement from the village elders confirming his death. At the next hearing, based on the witnesses’ testimonies, the court accepted that he had died. But on the day the ruling was due to be announced, we were told that Meki Aydın had voted at İstiklal Primary School in Bağcılar, Istanbul, in the referendum. That was given as the reason for rejecting our application. Had they not claimed that he had voted, his death would have been officially confirmed. We already know what happened to him, but it would also have been formally recognized by the authorities.”

 

A NEW LAWSUIT

 

Aydın said they appealed the court’s decision to the Van Regional Court of Appeal, adding: “I followed this process down to the smallest detail. But we were unable to find anything about who had signed the document. Or perhaps they did not want us to find out. The appeal court was of no help either and ruled that the case should be dismissed altogether. In January 2025, we filed another lawsuit. For the first time, they took blood samples from my mother. We took her to the Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK), where they also collected hair and saliva samples. I hope we get a result this time. We will continue our struggle.”

 

‘WE THANK MR. ÖCALAN FOR INITIATING THIS PROCESS’

 

Aydın expressed her gratitude to Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan for initiating the Peace and Democratic Society Process, saying: “Leader Apo has already demonstrated the great success he has achieved by initiating this process. We hope it will continue and move forward. It is time for everyone to feel at ease. The people must also stand by their martyrs throughout this process, because they are not only our martyrs or those of our mothers; they are the martyrs of this people. That is why all our hopes are pinned on peace being achieved as soon as possible. We have been struggling for years, and now we want to live in lasting peace. The process is going positively at the moment. Whoever is working to undermine it, we stand against them. It is time for us to have a say as well. We also sincerely thank Mr. Öcalan for helping to keep this peace process moving forward.”

 

THE AUTHORITIES TOLD VILLAGERS THAT MEKI AYDIN HAD DIED

 

Perişan Aydın, Meki Aydın’s mother, said: “I saw my son’s death in a dream. Before I had that dream, I was waiting for him every day. But after I had that dream, I realized that my son was no longer alive. I said to myself, ‘Meki is no longer in the mountains.’ In the autumn of 1993, my older sister came to stay with me. She had gathered my son’s clothes and brought them to me. At the time, I did not know that my son had died, but my sister did. The authorities had gone to the villages at the time and told people, ‘Meki Aydın had died.’ But my sister did not tell me the truth. The day my sister came, Meki appeared in my dream again. He was sitting on top of a deserted mountain. I went over to him and said, ‘What are you doing here? Come on, my son, let’s go.’ But he did not come with me. After that day, he never appeared in my dreams again. A year passed after I had that dream. I told my husband, ‘I know that my son is no longer alive. I gave him my blessing on the day he left; you should give him it too.’ My husband said, ‘I gave him my blessing.’ That was the day we accepted that our son was no longer alive.”

 

‘I WANT MY SON’S DEATH TO BE OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED’

 

Perişan Aydın continued: “All I want is for my son’s death to be officially recognized. Even if he cannot have a grave, at least let them officially acknowledge that he died. Of course, I want my son to have a grave so that I can visit him. But first, I want them to acknowledge his death because I know he is no longer alive. I want to have an official death certificate to put before the state, so that they will never again tell me, ‘Your son is alive; he voted.’ Can you bring someone who has died back to life? My son left 33 years ago, and he died 32 years ago. His friends who were with him at the time said that he had spent one year and three months in the mountains. We want this matter to finally be resolved.”

 

CALL FOR PEACE

 

Referring to the Peace and Democratic Society Process, Perişan Aydın stressed that despite all the pain she has endured, she still wants peace. She said: “I want this war to end. I don’t want people to kill one another. We don’t want anyone else to die on either side. We are all brothers and sisters, and we want to live together in peace.”

 

MA / Roza Arpa