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Human Rights Organizations to establish `Foundation for the
Investigation of Mass Graves'
Uygar Gültekin 12.17.2014 21:58NEWS
Human rights organizations have taken the decision to act in
cooperation to establish a `Foundation for the Investigation of Mass
Graves' under the supervision of the Human Rights Association (Ä°HD).
The work to discover mass graves will be carried out according to
periods, such as the 1915 Armenian Genocide, Kurdish rebellions after
1925, and the Kurdish War.
The recent history of Turkey is also a history of massacres. Thousands
of people remain buried, and unaccounted for, their identities are
unknown, and in some cases, even when they were massacred. Following
the 1915 Genocide, and the Kurdish War that intensified in the 1990s,
many excavations have unearthed bones. Calls have been made,
prosecutors have been summoned, however, the state has taken no
concrete step to deal with this issue. The few inquests carried out by
prosecutors have yielded no results.
The reality of mass graves has been on the agenda of human rights
organizations for many years. The Diyarbakır Branch of the Human
Rights Association (Ä°HD) in particular has for a long time carried out
work to determine the locations of mass graves. The association has
prepared a map of the locations it has managed to determine. According
to the report released on 16 December 2014, Tuesday, 348 mass graves
contain the remains of 4 thousand 201 people. The report does not
include data on the 1915 Genocide.
Human Rights Organization Join Forces
Various human rights organizations operating in Turkey carry out work
on mass graves. Human rights organizations have now taken the decision
to join forces on the issue, and will establish a `Foundation for the
Investigation of Mass Graves'. The preparatory work for the
establishment of the foundation is almost complete. Human rights
organizations including the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey and the
Truth Justice Memory Centre support the project.
İHD Diyarbakır Branch Chair Raci Bilici stated that the foundation
would be established soon, and added: `Ä°HD has to work with restricted
means. We are under both material and human resources constraints. We
have only been able to focus on applications made to our association
for a while now. The work on mass graves requires more material and
human resources. Therefore, a separate foundation needs to be
established, and a study that can also receive scientific support
needs to be carried out.'
Bilici explained that the work to discover mass graves would be
carried out according to periods, such as the 1915 Armenian Genocide,
Kurdish rebellions after 1925, and the Kurdish War.
348 mass grave sites located
According to the updated İHD Diyarbakır Branch mass graves report,
there are 348 exhumed and unexhumed mass graves in Turkey, containing
the remains of 4 thousand 201 people. According to the report, the
cities in which most mass graves are located are Diyarbakır, Siirt,
Bitlis, Hakkari and Bingöl. The `Mass Grave Map' prepared by Ä°HD
focuses on the period when the Kurdish War intensified. The report
also draws attention to the fact that the state has taken no concrete
step regarding the issue despite repeated campaigns, calls and
criminal complaints.
A DNA Bank must be established
In its report, Ä°HD also issued a call to prosecutors to take action
regarding the forcibly disappeared. Ä°HD also demanded that military
and civilian authorities to make public the documents they have in
hand, that the graves be opened following preliminary work carried out
according to those documents and data, and that the identities of the
forcibly disappeared be determined through a DNA Bank that must be
established. The report continued: `It is high time for Turkey to face
the reality of mass graves in the region. Authorities must take action
at once for the opening of mass graves.'
The Ä°HD report also made a call for the establishment of a Truth
Commission, and drew attention to international standards: `The search
for the forcibly disappeared and the exhumation of graves must be
carried out according to the Minnesota Autopsy Protocol and
international standards pertaining to the exhumation of graves. The
careless exhumation of graves using heavy machinery that leads to the
destruction or loss of the remains of the forcibly disappeared must be
prevented.'
http://www.agos.com.tr/en/article/9976/human-rights-organizations-to-establish-foundation-for-the-investigation-of-mass-graves
Investigation of Mass Graves'
Uygar Gültekin 12.17.2014 21:58NEWS
Human rights organizations have taken the decision to act in
cooperation to establish a `Foundation for the Investigation of Mass
Graves' under the supervision of the Human Rights Association (Ä°HD).
The work to discover mass graves will be carried out according to
periods, such as the 1915 Armenian Genocide, Kurdish rebellions after
1925, and the Kurdish War.
The recent history of Turkey is also a history of massacres. Thousands
of people remain buried, and unaccounted for, their identities are
unknown, and in some cases, even when they were massacred. Following
the 1915 Genocide, and the Kurdish War that intensified in the 1990s,
many excavations have unearthed bones. Calls have been made,
prosecutors have been summoned, however, the state has taken no
concrete step to deal with this issue. The few inquests carried out by
prosecutors have yielded no results.
The reality of mass graves has been on the agenda of human rights
organizations for many years. The Diyarbakır Branch of the Human
Rights Association (Ä°HD) in particular has for a long time carried out
work to determine the locations of mass graves. The association has
prepared a map of the locations it has managed to determine. According
to the report released on 16 December 2014, Tuesday, 348 mass graves
contain the remains of 4 thousand 201 people. The report does not
include data on the 1915 Genocide.
Human Rights Organization Join Forces
Various human rights organizations operating in Turkey carry out work
on mass graves. Human rights organizations have now taken the decision
to join forces on the issue, and will establish a `Foundation for the
Investigation of Mass Graves'. The preparatory work for the
establishment of the foundation is almost complete. Human rights
organizations including the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey and the
Truth Justice Memory Centre support the project.
İHD Diyarbakır Branch Chair Raci Bilici stated that the foundation
would be established soon, and added: `Ä°HD has to work with restricted
means. We are under both material and human resources constraints. We
have only been able to focus on applications made to our association
for a while now. The work on mass graves requires more material and
human resources. Therefore, a separate foundation needs to be
established, and a study that can also receive scientific support
needs to be carried out.'
Bilici explained that the work to discover mass graves would be
carried out according to periods, such as the 1915 Armenian Genocide,
Kurdish rebellions after 1925, and the Kurdish War.
348 mass grave sites located
According to the updated İHD Diyarbakır Branch mass graves report,
there are 348 exhumed and unexhumed mass graves in Turkey, containing
the remains of 4 thousand 201 people. According to the report, the
cities in which most mass graves are located are Diyarbakır, Siirt,
Bitlis, Hakkari and Bingöl. The `Mass Grave Map' prepared by Ä°HD
focuses on the period when the Kurdish War intensified. The report
also draws attention to the fact that the state has taken no concrete
step regarding the issue despite repeated campaigns, calls and
criminal complaints.
A DNA Bank must be established
In its report, Ä°HD also issued a call to prosecutors to take action
regarding the forcibly disappeared. Ä°HD also demanded that military
and civilian authorities to make public the documents they have in
hand, that the graves be opened following preliminary work carried out
according to those documents and data, and that the identities of the
forcibly disappeared be determined through a DNA Bank that must be
established. The report continued: `It is high time for Turkey to face
the reality of mass graves in the region. Authorities must take action
at once for the opening of mass graves.'
The Ä°HD report also made a call for the establishment of a Truth
Commission, and drew attention to international standards: `The search
for the forcibly disappeared and the exhumation of graves must be
carried out according to the Minnesota Autopsy Protocol and
international standards pertaining to the exhumation of graves. The
careless exhumation of graves using heavy machinery that leads to the
destruction or loss of the remains of the forcibly disappeared must be
prevented.'
http://www.agos.com.tr/en/article/9976/human-rights-organizations-to-establish-foundation-for-the-investigation-of-mass-graves