On the first anniversary of the assassination of Deniz Bülbün, a representative of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) in Erbil (Hewlêr), the KNK Presidency Council held a memorial ceremony and reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing justice for Bülbün, who was killed by operatives of the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) on 18 September 2023.
The KNK released a statement on Wednesday, addressing ongoing legal proceedings related to Bülbün’s murder. While the Kurdistan Regional authorities initially reported the arrest of suspects, it was later revealed that one had fled the region. After a year of court sessions, the Erbil Criminal Court sentenced the defendants to a combined 27 years of life imprisonment under Article 2 of the Anti-Terror Law for charges of murder and espionage.
The KNK expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision but emphasised that justice remains incomplete. “We will continue our efforts until all those responsible, including the main perpetrators, are brought to justice,” the KNK statement said. The Council also urged the official institutions of Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to uphold their constitutional and legal duties to protect sovereignty and security, resist foreign interference, and prevent the occupation of Kurdish lands by colonial powers.
At a memorial ceremony in Bülbün’s hometown of Delezi, Yüksekova (Gewer), Turkey’s eastern Kurdish region, MP Onur Düşünmez from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party delivered a speech. “Our struggle against those who seek to eradicate our people will continue,” he stated, pledging to hold all those complicit in the crime accountable. “We will persist in seeking justice for Deniz Bülbün and all our fallen comrades until the true perpetrators are brought to justice.”
The KNK’s call for justice includes a demand to hold not only the direct perpetrators accountable but also the broader network of MIT operatives involved in the assassination. The organisation also stressed the need for stronger efforts to curb the influence of foreign intelligence agencies in the Kurdistan Region, which they argue threatens regional stability and sovereignty.
The KNK reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that all those responsible for such crimes are exposed and punished, expressing gratitude to the legal team and supporters of Deniz Bülbün’s cause.
