Eight years ago a devastating Islamic State (ISIS) bombing targeted an electoral rally organised by the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbakır (Amed).
On 5 June 2015 the rally, which was meant to galvanise democratic participation, became a scene of horror when ISIS militants carried out a bomb attack just as the then HDP co-chair, Selahattin Demirtaş, was about to address the crowd. The blast claimed five lives, while over 400 people suffered injuries.
The bombing took place in the aftermath of the collapse of a resolution process launched in 2013 to peacefully end the Kurdish conflict in Turkey, and two days before the general elections.
There were serious lapses by the security forces prior to the attack. For instance, it was revealed that the attacker’s family had reported to the police a day before the incident that he might organise an attack and this notice was ignored.
The two bombs left by the attacker at the rally site were not detected by the police who were providing perimeter security. A lawsuit was filed for negligence against police officers who were in charge of search and screening activities in the area where the bombs were left, however, justice remains unserved today with the acquittal of the police officers. The only person sentenced in the case is the attacker who dropped the bombs.
The attack on the HDP rally marked the onset of a period of renewed conflict and the return of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government’s oppressive policies concerning the Kurdish issue.
After the 5 June attack, the HDP won over 13 percent of the vote, the highest in its history, but ever since the government’s crackdown on pro-Kurdish circles has accelerated.
Subsequently, while the elections were repeated because a government could not be formed, there were other bomb attacks between the elections that killed 33 people in the Suruç district of Şanlıurfa (Riha) on 20 July and 104 people in Ankara on 10 October 2015.
The attack in Suruç took place during a press conference held by 300 members of socialist and democratic youth organisations, who were set to go to the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobane to support the reconstruction of the city after the ISIS invasion.
The explosion in Ankara targeted a crowded rally calling for peace, which was attended by several civil society organisations.
As the pain and trauma of the attacks that targeted those advocating for peace continue to reverberate through society, survivors still call for the pursuit of justice, not only for the victims and their families but also for the larger goal of fostering peace and reconciliation in Turkey.
