Two years have elapsed since the horrific massacre of the Dedeoğulları family in Konya, Turkey, a racially motivated attack that claimed seven lives on 30 July 2021. Yet the full circumstances surrounding this atrocity remain shrouded in mystery. Speaking to Mezopotamya Agency on Sunday, Çetin Dedeoğulları, the only survivor, remains steadfast in his pursuit of justice, vowing to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.
“Only one person was arrested. If there hadn’t been a camera, they would have let him out on bail for the trial,” Dedeoğulları stated, highlighting the importance of the footage captured during the attack. The video unambiguously identified Altun as the attacker, showing him shooting Dedeoğulları family members already wounded and attempting to set the house ablaze.
The prime suspect, Altun, was handed an aggravated life sentence by Konya Serious Penalty Court No.4 on 21 November 2022. However, numerous aspects of the case, including Altun’s alleged connections with the police, remain unexplored,
“The massacre committed against us today is solely because we are Kurds”, Dedeoğulları stated, shedding light on the racial motivations behind the attack. The Dedeoğulları family had also been targeted in an attack previously, on 12 May 2021, perpetrated by the Keleş and Çalık families. Despite the severity of the assault, the attackers were released two months later. A mere 18 days after their release, the second, fatal attack occurred.
During the first attack, the assailants hurled threats such as, “We are ülkücü [Grey Wolves], we will destroy you.” “In the [first] incident, the family was seriously assaulted. My sister and brother were in intensive care for some time. After that first beating, my brother called me on video and he was covered in blood,” Dedeoğulları recalled.
Altun’s statements in prison suggest that the police were sympathetic to him, further complicating the case. His ability to stay in luxury hotels and rent cars despite being unemployed raises questions about who financed him and whether the massacre was a coordinated attack.
“The judicial process of this massacre is a farce. Two indictments were prepared and despite all our insistence, the files were not combined,” Dedeoğulları criticised, highlighting the shortcomings of the judicial process. As the sole survivor, Dedeoğulları has taken it upon himself to fight for justice for his family. “As concrete evidence emerges, they lean more on the policy of impunity. I am the only person who survived in the family. I will follow this matter to the end for justice to be served,” he vowed.
