The remains of Yılmaz Uzun, who lost his life in a Turkish airstrike in Siirt (Sêrt) in 2020 along with five other Kurdish guerrillas, have been delivered to his family in a box three years after his death.
After giving blood samples for identification in 2020, the results came out in 2021, however, the family of Uzun were never informed about the findings. Consequently, his remains were buried in an unmarked common grave.
İbrahim Uzun, the grieving father, expressed his frustration to Mezopotamya Agency by showing his son’s remains he received in a box.
With the remains of Uzun in their possession, the family have embarked on a journey towards their hometown, the Tatos district of Erzurum, for funeral rites.
It has also been reported that the military authorities in Tatos allegedly contacted the village headman, imposing a ban on holding the funeral prayer in the mosque.
This is not the first time that the Turkish authorities have handed over the remains of Kurdish guerrillas unceremoniously to their families in a box or a bag and after several years.
Last year, Italian artist Gianluca Costantini made waves on social media and decorated the streets of Istanbul with a drawing depicting the moment a bereaved Kurdish father was presented with the remains of his son in a plastic bag.
