MALATYA- Critising the decision of the Court of Appeals about Kemal Kurkut, Ercan Kurkut, brother of Kemal Kurkut said: "Being a Kurd in this country is a crime. If you are Kurdish you are at fault."

 

Gaziantep Regional Administrative Court, 3rd Administrative Trial Chamber, decided that the family of university student Kemal Kurkut, who was murdered by the police during the Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakir in 2017, reversed the decision to pay the family 256 thousand TL for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damags and claimed that the police was right to use a weapon and told that Kurkut was an aggressor protestor.

 

Speaking to Mesopotamia Agency regarding the decision, Kurkut's elder brother Ercan Kurkut reminded that his brother was murdered before the eyes of the public. Referring to the 3-year-long lawsuit filed at the Diyarbakır 7th Heavy Penal Court after his brother was murdered by the police, Kurkut said, “Despite the hundreds of evidence we presented during this trial, the murderer was acquitted. He continues his police duty. We subsequently filed lawsuits against many of institutions and we could not get any results from any of them. In the lawsuit we filed against the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the grounds of 'service fault', a decision of pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages of 256 thousand TL was issued. However, the Court of Appeal overturned this decision. The court found Kemal 'at fault."

 

THE ADMINISTRATION HAS NO FAULT!

 

Drawing attention to the appeal's decision that the administration had "no fault" in the security service in the incident, Kurkut said, "After Kemal was killed, the police confiscating the footage of the journalists in the vicinity was not considered a fault. Afterwards, the Diyarbakır Governor's statement that "a suicide bomber who tried to enter the area was neutralized" was not considered a fault. Malatya Battalgazi Municipality torturing the body was not considered a fault. Not providing a coffin or burial place was not considered a fault. Kemal who was murdered, considered to be at fault. What this decision actually says is being Kurdish is a fault in this country.

 

'FOR THE KILLERS TO BE PUNISHED..'

 

Expressing that they will follow the case until justice is provided, elder brother Kurkut said: “As a family, we will continue to follow this case. No matter what we do, we can not bring Kemal back. Our concern is that other Kemals are not killed. From now on, we will fight to prevent innocent people from being murdered by the police in the middle of the street or anywhere. From now on, we will make efforts to punish the murderers in such cases. We will continue to follow this case until the end. We would like to thank all the lawyers, deputies and valuable Kurdish people who stood by us during this process. Our struggle will continue until justice is served.”

 

 

 

MA / Emrullah Acar