Sütun 1
Sütun 2
Sütun 3
Medya News
Daily News
Breaking News
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • INTERVIEW
  • More
    • SPECIAL REPORTS
    • ECOLOGY
    • WORLD
    • AUDIO ARTICLES
    • JOURNALISM
    • ECONOMY
    • CULTURE & ART
    • LONG READS
    • NEWSLETTER
    • DAILY NEWS
MULTIMEDIA
PODCAST
LIVE BLOG
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • INTERVIEW
  • More
    • SPECIAL REPORTS
    • ECOLOGY
    • WORLD
    • AUDIO ARTICLES
    • JOURNALISM
    • ECONOMY
    • CULTURE & ART
    • LONG READS
    • NEWSLETTER
    • DAILY NEWS
MULTIMEDIA
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
Medya News

Kılıçdaroğlu made Roboski an isolated incident

10:13 am 08/08/2022
A A
Kılıçdaroğlu made Roboski an isolated incident
Share post

Fréderike Geerdink

As part of his effort to ‘make things right’ with communities in Turkey that have faced crimes against them at the hands of the state, [opposition] Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kılıçdaroğlu visited the village of Roboski. Even though attention for the Roboski massacre is always good, a closer look paints a grimmer picture.

The Roboski massacre happened on 28 December 2011. Thirty-four villagers, of whom 19 were juveniles, were killed when Turkey bombed their group as they were about to re-enter Turkey with the goods (cigarettes, petrol, tea) they had picked up in Kurdistan in Iraq. Border trade, or smuggling, had been a way to make a living there for decades.

The Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and its media framed the villagers as ‘PKK auxiliaries’, which equals ‘terrorists’ in the eyes of the public. In reality, some of the victims’ families were auxiliaries not of the PKK but of the Turkish army, as many of them were members of the village guards, the state-paid and -armed organisation that helps the army in its war against the PKK.

Revenge

Roboski was not an accident, as the government eventually conceded, it was a deliberate act. Weeks earlier, in October 2011, the PKK had carried out a major attack on an army base in which more than 20 soldiers had died, and the state needed to ‘take revenge’. The Roboski massacre was that revenge. No PKK member was killed, but that didn’t matter. If there had been a PKK member in the group of smugglers (it’s whispered that the state expected to kill top commander Bahoz Erdal), the state could have celebrated it as a victory. When it turned out only civilians died, they turned it into a victory against the PKK by framing the victims as PKK helpers.

There has been a parliamentary investigation into the massacre, but the commission carrying it out was dominated by [the ruling] Justice and Development Party (AKP) MPs, and basically concluded that the 34 victims were ‘killed by planes’. The families of the victims have tried for years to take those responsible to court, but since 2018, the case is in a deadlock. Because of a (never clarified) mistake by one of the lawyers, the European Court of Human Rights rejected the case. It can only be revived when evidence emerges that sheds new light, and nobody expects that to happen.

Step forward

But is all the evidence indeed on the table? Surely not: there must be people (formerly) in the army who have intelligence that could help the case forward. What if Kılıçdaroğlu were to call for people who know anything, however small, about the massacre that hasn’t surfaced yet, to step forward? What if he used the respect that (part of) the Turkish army historically has for the CHP and called on anybody within the armed forces with remorse to step forward, anonymously if necessary? The chance is tiny, but even a tiny chance must be taken and this could provide a lead, especially after all the changes the army has gone through since the coup attempt in 2016.

But there is more. the Roboski massacre was eleven years ago. Is that how many years must pass before a state crime gets the lukewarm attention of the leader of the biggest (so-called) opposition party? By not visiting the many other places where the state has killed its citizens since, Kılıçdaroğlu renders the Roboski massacre an isolated case of injustice, whereas in fact, the whole Kurdish issue manifested itself in those few square kilometres. The dynamics that lead to that massacre have repeated themselves elsewhere in Kurdistan several times.

Self-defence forces

In Kobani in 2014 for example, when ISIS tried to occupy the city after it gained strength with Turkey’s assistance. In Sur and in Cizre, where in early 2016 city wars raged and many civilians were killed in the disproportionate use of state violence. In the mountains across the border in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where the Turkish army has killed more than a hundred civilians since 2015. In Sinjar (Şengal), the homeland of the Yazidis in northwest Iraq, where the Turkish army continues to target both civilians and members of the Yazidi self-defence forces. In the areas Turkey occupies in Syria, where large-scale human rights violations take place.

You can say you want to ‘make things right’ with citizens who have been crushed by the state, but it remains lip service when you only focus on the past and not on the present – they are inextricably connected. You may say that currently it is politically impossible for Kılıçdaroğlu to visit those places and you may be right. But then what is the point of going to Roboski without even reflecting on the CHP’s historical responsibility? If even that is impossible in the current political dynamics, where Kılıçdaroğlu has to keep together a nationalist alliance of six parties with which he wants to beat the AKP/MHP alliance in next year’s elections, doesn’t he have other, internal work to do before showing up in Roboski?

Being there is just not enough.

Fréderike Geerdink is an independent journalist. Follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her acclaimed weekly newsletter Expert Kurdistan.


Share post
Tags: Trending

Related Posts

Daily News : 06 November 2024

Daily News : 06 November 2024

November 6, 2024
Daily News : 05 November 2024

Daily News : 05 November 2024

November 5, 2024
Daily News : 03 SEPTEMBER 2024

Daily News : 03 SEPTEMBER 2024

September 3, 2024
Fifty more detainees released under amnesty for internal peace in North and East Syria

Fifty more detainees released under amnesty for internal peace in North and East Syria

September 3, 2024
Uncle of missing child in Turkey arrested as case exposes broader child safety issues

Uncle of missing child in Turkey arrested as case exposes broader child safety issues

September 3, 2024
Turkey’s bid to join BRICS raises questions within NATO

Turkey’s bid to join BRICS raises questions within NATO

September 3, 2024

The news content on our website cannot be quoted without permission, even by citing the source. It cannot be copied or published elsewhere, contrary to the law or without permission.

Follow Medya News

Categories

  • All News
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Human Rights
  • Interview
  • Women
  • Audio Articles
  • Special Report

Quick Menu

  • Daily News
  • Live Blog
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Breaking News

About

Impressum

About us

Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

[email-subscribers-form id=”1″]

Contact

[contact-form-7 id=”18690″ title=”Contact form 1″]

No Result
View All Result
  • All News
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Interview
  • Long Reads
  • World
  • Journalism
  • Ecology
  • Economy
  • Culture & Art
  • Daily News
  • Breaking News
  • Newsletter
  • Opinion
  • Authors
  • Podcast
  • LIVE BLOG

© 2020 Medyanews. All Rights Reserved