Şerali Dereli (61) was reportedly murdered by soldiers in Duranlar (Awyan) village of Esendere region in Hakkari (Colemerg) in Turkey on 29 October. His family claimed that soldiers opened fire on them as they tried to reach his body. After the incident, footage was publicly released that shed further light on the attack.
In the footage, Dereli’s nephew is heard saying: “They murdered my uncle, shooting him repeatedly. Later, when the incident is reported in the press, they will claim that he has been found with C-4 type explosives. My uncle is over 60 years old and he is not guilty”. In the footage, several armed soldiers can be seen standing by Dereli’s body. Dereli’s nephew also stated that soldiers opened fire on them when they tried to reach the scene and collect Dereli’s dead body.
The 29 October incident
According to Mesopotamia Agency (MA), Turkish soldiers carried out a military operation in the region and murdered Dereli. His horse, which was tied to a stake, was also shot and killed.
Dereli’s relatives tried to claim his body, but were blocked by soldiers. His body remained at the incident site for six hours, before being transferred to Hakkari Public Hospital. It was reported that Dereli lost his life due to internal bleeding caused by a bullet through his back. Following the autopsy, Dereli’s body was buried in the village.
It has also been revealed that Dereli’s 19-year-old brother, Abdulhalit, was murdered by a Turkish soldier near their village in 1983.
Soldiers opened fire on the family
Şerali Dereli’s son, Sultan Ali Dereli, said that soldiers killed his father alongside his horse and foal. It was an act of barbarism, he said. Sultan heard his father’s voice during the attack: “They were beating my father when he was still alive. First they battered him and then they killed him”, he said. He added that the soldiers opened fire on him and his family when they tried to get to his father’s body.
“My father was assassinated openly. We will file a complaint against those who are responsible. Those who killed my father must be tried. Why did they kill a person in his sixties? What has my father done?”