Turkish soldiers shot and killed Şerali Dereli (63) in a village in the Esendere region of Hakkari (Colemerg) on Saturday evening.
The incident took place near Dereli’s house in the village of Duranlar (Awyan). It was reported that Turkish soldiers opened fire during a military operation in the region, killing 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. The body remained at the scene for six hours, before being taken 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.
According to Mesopotamia Agency’s (MA) report, Dereli’s relatives said, “The body remained on the ground for six hours. An argument occured between relatives and soldiers. They used pepper spray”.
It was also 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 the voice of his father 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 were trying to get to his father’s body.
“My father was assassinated openly. We will file a complaint against those responsible. Those who killed my father must be tried. Why did they kill a person in his sixties? What has my father done?”
