177 of a total of 288 people were burned to death in 79 days, in two basements in Cizre during the curfews declared by Tukish government on December 14, 2015. While the bodies of 14 people haven't been found yet despite the 6 years that have passed, the belongings of people killed there are returned to their families years later.

 

After the belongings of Agit Akıl, who lost his life during the curfews in Cizre returned to his family on January 11, the digital material of Cizre People's Council Co-chair Mehmet Tunç, who was burned to death in a basement in Cizre were returned to his family after 6 years. Tunç family said: "They are twisting the knife to increase our pain."

 

NO DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LAW SUITS

 

Esmer Tunç, mother of Mehmet and Orhan Tunç, both of whom lost their lives during the curfews, said: "It's been 6 years since we lost Mehmet. The Turkish state has been filing law suits against us every year. They are either punishing us unlawfully or sending us the belongings of our dead loved ones, twisting the knife to increase our pain. I condemn this cruelty. They should stop trying to hurt us mothers further. They burned our loved ones to death in those basements. People could not find the bodies of their loved ones. Not even their bones. Now they are putting us through it all over again. There are no developments on the law suits we filed for our loved ones. They are doing nothing to ease our pain. I will never back away from my fight to get justice for my sons." 

 

THEY DIDN'T EVEN LEAVE A PHOTO BEHIND

 

Mehmet Tunç's wife Zeynep Tunç told that three police officers came to their house on Friday and brought back some of the belongings of Mehmet Tunç. Stating that she fell on her knees when she saw her husband's belongings in a plastic bag six years later, Zeynep Tunç said: "We couldn't recognize his body when he was killed. I asked them what it was in the bags that they brought 6 years later. They wanted me to sign a paper. I told them I would not sign anything. They said I had to. I told them they were doing this on purpose to increase the pain of the families. We used to live in Cudi neighborhood during the curfews. They burned our house to the ground. They didn't even leave a shirt or a photo that belonged to Mehmet."

 

'WE WILL BE TALL IN OUR SADDLES'

 

Underlining that what is done to them is cruel, Tunç said: "They are keeping the pain alive. We have been living through this pain for 7 years. No one took a step to ease our pain. They killed our people in those basements while they are thristy and hungry. They called them terrorists and killed them. The real terrorists are those who did all these things. We will be tall in our saddles. We will stand by them as long as we live."

 

 

MA / Ömer Akın