Hüsnü Öndül
History has not recorded a clean-handed state yet. And those who argue that states are murderers are not unjust. I do not know if there has been a state, which has not applied the death penalty ever in its history. I wonder, has there been a state that has not tortured, has not had extrajudicial executions?
When people call states “murderer”, they do so according to their laws, their decision-makers and of course, their executives and hitmen. These executives, hitmen, tend to be state officials or are somehow affiliated with it. It is thus that the state’s thuggery is mentioned.
But what are we going to say when we think of the present? Are we going to omit the issue by saying “Well, all states are murderers anyway”? We see positive improvements in Turkey sometimes. Yet we still cannot go without asking:
Is the Republic of Turkey being purified of its dirts?
Or can be seeking some kind of trickery?
This why we ask these questions:
A few years ago, the state initiated the Colonel Temizöz case. The number of murders is 20. The years are 1993-1994. Commander Musa Çitil case was filed. Number of murders, 13. The year is 1993. A summary of proceedings was put in order for Colonel Hasan Atilla Ugur and some people; the number of murders is 12. The Years are 1993-1996 (Radikal, 18.07.2013).
Very interesting. There is also a case regarding an extrajudicial execution from 2009. A colonel on active duty is also in prison. Let’s call it a “good day’s” case.They are being held responsible for the slaughtering of three PKK members, one of whom was a civilian. It evokes practices of the 90s.
Cem Ersever had told Soner Yalçin years ago. He had published it with the title “Major Ersever’s Confessions” (Kaynak publications). He was speaking of the Sirnak, Diyarbakir, Tunceli triangle in the Southeast. The teams of enforcers over there. Mardin Silopi, Derik, Kiziltepe are not mentioned so much in the confessions. We have seen progress in the last years, especially with the works of the Human Rights Association in Mardin and lawyer Erdal Kuzu. Also, the case on Temizöz initiated by the President of the Diyarbakir Bar Association Tahir Elçi and lastly, the Mete Sayar investigations regarding the slaughterings in Şırnak. It is known that such attempts in the area are increasing.
In the past, the names Levent Ersöz and Veli Küçük were mentioned frequently in the Area. Because the Ergenekon case occupied the minds as qualitatively an attempted coup d’état, people, with fallacy, would say “Why doesn’t the Ergenekon case go to the east of the Firat river?” Friends, who told you that the Ergenekon investigation targets unknown killings, enforced disappearances, forced migrations, the burning down and evacuation of villages?
Out of the total of 23 dossiers put together, is anyone being held responsible for one murder except the attack against the Council of State?
Ergenekon turned into a state operation to acquit the counter-guerilla. So our glorious state has such a clean gladio! It did not kill anyone, did not burn or destroy, did not forcibly disappear anybody, did not torture!
It says so on the business card titled Ergenekon.
But we need to acknowledge one improvement, even though its a single one. These cases are opened by local, qualified prosecutors, without giving an opportunity for a statue of limitation. But some hands touch the files afterwards. These files are transferred, here and there.
The murderers are being protected.
30 to 40 murders are being investigated; they are becoming clear, but the number of deaths go up to 50 thousand. Extra judicial executions, mass graves, sometimes mentions of enforced disappearances are near 1500.
There are many questions: Will we recognize and come to terms with the past? Will the process of rehabilitating justice function alongside the criminal justice system? Will truth comissions be formed? What will victims’ expectations be in terms of justice?
The issue, of course, is not the prosecution and punishment of a few state officials…
* This article has been published in Evrensel on 11 September 2013.
