Human rights defender Eren Keskin draws attention to the immense suffering caused by decades of conflict and war in the Kurdish region. Through her accounts, Keskin reveals abuses—including village burnings, torture and enforced disappearances—that remain unknown or forgotten by much of society. The story of seven people arrested on 29 October 1995 in Dargeçit (Kerboran), located in Mardin (Mêrdîn) province in southeastern Turkey, never to be heard from again, compels families and lawyers like Keskin to continue their relentless struggle. The original article, titled “Bir 29 Ekim Günü” (“One 29 October Day”), from Yeni Yaşam Gazetesi has been translated by Medya News.
By Eren Keskin
As human rights defenders, we have been eyewitnesses to the deep suffering and conflict in Kurdistan for years. So many immense tragedies have unfolded before our eyes that words are hardly enough to convey them. Sadly, the vast majority of people in this region remain unaware of the pain endured, either because they do not want to know or because these truths have never reached the public. Nevertheless, we have witnessed with our eyes and our hearts countless profound sufferings.
Among those who died in the violence were many members, including leaders, of the Human Rights Association. Many of our people were arrested and then disappeared without trace. Villages were burned and bombed, and we endured unspeakable pain. As human rights defenders, we tried to reach every place where human rights were violated, documenting every incident. When history tells the story of the 1990s, it will be thanks to the reports produced by the Human Rights Association, as it was the only organisation that dared to enter the conflict zones and document the suffering. We produced these reports under immense pressure, often with guns pointed at us, in unforgettable days of hardship.
Today, there is renewed hope with talk of a new peace process. In a surprising turn of events, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party has made statements suggesting that such a process could begin. While those of us familiar with the state’s approach remain cautious, any mention of peace inevitably inspires hope in us.
For this reason, I believe the public should be ready to embrace such a process and approach it with a supportive outlook. However, the Kurdish issue remains an international issue and a solution requires action in all parts – Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey – as developments in the Middle East continue to bring the issue to the forefront.
Today I would like to give a concrete example of why we need peace, a tragedy that has left an indelible mark on us and underlined our insistence on peace. I am writing to you on 29 October, a day which I remember with deep sadness. It was 29 October 1995 in Dargeçit, Mardin – known as Kerboran – when the doors of several houses were knocked on by the gendarmerie and seven people, including three children, were arrested.
The children were Hazni, aged nine, his brother Seyhan, aged thirteen, and Davut, aged twelve. They were detained with other adults. Nine-year-old Hazni was tortured, even hung up in the interrogation centre, where another young child entered to ask his father, a commander, for money to buy chocolate, just to see his classmate Hazni in such a distressing state. Perhaps it was shame that finally led to Hazni’s release; otherwise, there can be no justification for the torture of a nine-year-old child. While Hazni was released, the others disappeared, never to be heard from again, as in so many other cases.
In time, an officer called Bilal Batır began to talk about what he knew. He revealed that detainees had been severely tortured and burned in ovens. His testimony reached the commanding officers, who also disappeared Bilal Batır. Batır paid the price for having a shred of conscience. As human rights activists and the Saturday Mothers, we spent years investigating the fate of the Dargeçit disappeared. Finally, our efforts bore fruit and in 2012 a mass grave, identified by locals as the final resting place of the Dargeçit disappeared, was exhumed. Indeed, the remains of those who had been brutally tortured before burial were uncovered, and DNA from the bones matched the families of the missing. The officer responsible for these heinous acts later became mayor of Gümüşlük, Bodrum.
It is a harrowing but true story – one of countless tragedies in this country, with the majority of society largely unaware of these painful truths. Despite years of advocacy by human rights defenders, nothing changed and the case was eventually closed due to the statute of limitations, which often serves as a loophole for impunity in cases of enforced disappearance.
When we speak of peace, we also speak for the families who have endured this pain. Despite all they have been through, these families want to see an end to the violence. Their voices deserve to be heard. On a day when others celebrate 29 October, for us human rights defenders it is a day to remember a profound tragedy.
