The 12th anniversary of the Roboski massacre, which claimed the lives of 34 Kurdish civilians, including 19 children, in 2011, was commemorated in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeastern Şırnak’s (Şirnex) Uludere (Qileban) district. Families, political representatives and community members gathered at the victims’ graves, paying tribute and seeking justice for this unresolved tragedy.
Photos of the 34 victims were displayed during the memorial, attended by families of the deceased and key figures from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party. Co-chairs Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and Keskin Bayındır of the DBP, along with Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of the DEM Party, were present.
In her address, Hatimoğulları emphasised the shared responsibility in the Roboski massacre. “Until those responsible from the Turkish Armed Forces, the Defence Minister and the then-Chief of General Staff come forward to explain and account for this event, everyone shares the guilt,” she said, adding that “it’s clear that laws are set aside when it involves Kurds or the oppressed in this country.”