Turkish soldiers conducted a raid on Monday morning at the home of Mehmet Yıldırım, who was killed during a military operation on the night of 24 May in Kurdish-majority Ortaç (Nenyas), Lice (Licê) district. Soldiers forcibly entered the house, broke the door down, and searched the property, as reported by Mezopotamya News Agency.
No reasons were given for the raid, according to Mehmet Yıldırım’s sister Fehime Yıldırım. She confirmed that the soldiers left without taking anything from the property.
Yıldırım, a father of four, was killed during a military siege on the rural neighbourhood involving gunfire and helicopters. The Turkish Interior Minister claimed online that Yıldırım was on a “Grey List” of terrorists and implicated in several “incidents”. However, these allegations are vehemently disputed by his family and locals, who assert his civilian status.
“We weren’t even officially informed of his death; we found out from social media. It’s inhumane,” a family member lamented.
Following the initial raid, Yıldırım’s family, with support from local civil rights groups, gathered outside the Forensic Medicine Institute in Diyarbakır (Amed), awaiting the return of his body. This incident underscored the broader implications of Turkey’s military operations in Kurdish-majority areas, which often evoke painful memories of the violent suppression during the 1990s.
Additionally, independent journalist Medine Mamedoğlu reported that during the siege in May, a 15-year-old boy was used as a human shield while his mother was held at gunpoint by soldiers for several hours.
