ISTANBUL - Saturday Mothers, who asked about the fate of Rıdvan Karakoç, who was made to disappear in custody 29 years ago, said that no matter what happens, they will not give up searching for justice and the disappeared.

 

Saturday Mothers came together for the 986th time in Galatasaray Square to ask about the fate of their relatives who disappeared or were murdered in custody and to demand that the perpetrators be tried. In the action attended by the Saturday Mothers as well as the relatives of the disappeared, photographs of those disappeared in custody were opened. In this week's protest, the fate of Rıdvan Karakoç, who was disappeared under custody in Istanbul in 1995, was asked.

 

The press text was read by Saturday Person Ikbal Eren. Stating that the search for truth and justice has been going on for 986 weeks, Eren said: “We are here because although international law imposes an obligation on the state to 'prevent and punish' the crime of disappearance in custody, the state does not fulfil this obligation. Since the disappearances in custody occur as a result of the instructions and connivance of state officials, it is not possible to investigate them effectively."

 

HIS FAMILY THREATENED

 

Emphasizing that they want the fate of the disappeared to be disclosed, the perpetrators and those responsible to be held accountable before justice, Eren conveyed information about 34-year-old Rıdavan Karakoç, who was disappeared 29 years ago. Eren said: “34-year-old Rıdvan Karakoç was living in Istanbul. He was working in Kurdish political parties and cultural and artistic institutions. An arrest warrant was issued for a person detained in 1994, based on his statement. The police looking for Rıdvan Karakoç were holding his family's house under surveillance. From time to time, they raided the house and threatened the family by saying, 'Bring Ridvan to us, if you don't, we will kill him wherever we see him.'" 

 

'HE WAS BURIED AS AN UNKNOWN PERSON'

 

Eren continued her words as follows: “Rıdvan, who could not come home, communicated regularly with his family and lawyer until February 15, 1995. After this date, contact with Rıdvan was lost. The police blockade of the house has been abolished. Police raids have ended. The Karakoç Family appealed to all authorities, but to no avail. For Rıdvan, who denied being detained, all state institutions responded, ‘We don’t have him.’ After a persistent search that lasted 110 days, Rıdvan Karakoç's body, bearing traces of torture, was found in Altınşehir Orphanage Cemetery. While his family was searching everywhere for Rıdvan, it was revealed that his lifeless body passed through all official institutions, including the prosecutor's office and after being held in the Forensic Medicine Institute for days, he was buried at the police station as an 'unknown person', even though he had fingerprints."

 

'WE WILL NOT GIVE UP DEMANDING JUSTICE'

 

Stating that an effective investigation was not carried out, Eren emphasized the following: “Mother Asiye Karakoç, who passed away in 2016, said what they were put through; she stated, 'The state stripped us of our citizenship and closed all its doors to us.' In our 986th week, we call out to the judicial authorities once again; fulfil your duty to reveal the truth about the disappearance of Rıdvan Karakoç in custody. Identify the people and institutions responsible for the crime and ensure that they are punished. No matter how many years pass we will not stop demanding justice for Rıdvan Karakoç, for all our losses, and reminding that the state has to act within the norms of universal law."

 

After the action, carnations were left in the square.