MARDİN - Doğan Çetin from Mardin, fulfilling his compulsory military service in Edirne, was attacked by two other soldiers when he said he wished he had recieved education in his mother tongue. Filing a criminal complaint, Doğan said some commanders sided with the attackers and that he had no life safety.

 

20 year old Çetin Doğan has been subjected to the racist attack of the soldiers in his unit. According to the information obtained, the incident happened on August 15. Çetin spoke in Kurdish and was attacked due to defending education in Kurdish.  Çetin was hit by various parts of his head and body in the attack carried out with the HK33 rifle, and his nose and forehead were broken. Çetin was treated for 3 days in the hospital and undergone a surgery due to the fractures in his head and face.

 

HE FILED A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT

 

After being discharged, Çetin met with the Ministry of Justice and General Staff officials in Ankara regarding the attack. However, there was no result from the talks. Following these meetings, coming back to his hometown, Çetin applied to Edirne Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.  Çetin demanded that those responsible be punished for charges such as "attempted murder, assault, deliberate injury, insult, threat, cursing, criminal fabrication, language and racial discrimination."

 

Çetin spoke to Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about the attack.

 

'BECAUSE I SAID I WISHED TO BE EDUCATED IN KURDISH'

 

Çetin stated that all of his four brothers are currently doing compulsory military service and that he is a tailor in the army. Stating that his attackers witnessed him speaking in Kurdish to two other Kurdish soldiers. When his attackers summoned him and started talking, Çetin said he told that he wished to have recieved his education in Kurdish. Çetin said his attackers told him to come with them and lured him to a remote area where there are no cameras. Çetin said the attack was deliberate.

 

Stating that he was finally rescued by someone whom he could not see at the time, Çetin said he was taken to hopsital and came back to the barracks following his treatment. Çetin said his attackers called him a terrorist and the commanders didn't do anything about it except for a captain who supported him and that he is alive because of this commander.

 

'KURDIS PEOPLE DOING COMPULSORY MILITARY SERVICE HAVE NO LIFE SAFETY'

 

Stating that he went to the Presidency of General Staff and an official told him that there is nothing they can do, and that the court will figure it out.  Çetin told that what he had to go through was pure racism and that he will not let this go. 

  

MA/ Ahmet Kanbal