Lawyer Tahir Elçi Commemorated on Fourth Anniversary of His Killing
Photo: AA
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Lawyer and human rights defender Tahir Elçi has been commemorated in several cities on the fourth anniversary of his killing in Diyarbakır.
Elçi's family, members of the Tahir Elçi Human Rights Foundation, chairpeople of 25 bar associations and hundreds of lawyers walked from the Diyarbakır Courthouse to the Sheikh Matar Mosque, where he was shot dead during a press statement on November 28, 2015.
Türkan Elçi, the wife of the late lawyer, made a speech there, saying, "We came again two your four-legged door," referring to the mosque, which is known as "the Four-Legged Minaret" by locals.
"They want to make us believe that the death of the one who will lie on the ground forever is a coincidental death," promising that they will come to the mosque until the end of their lives.
"We won't give up telling this minaret, which utters the name of God five times a day, which witnessed your death, about our situation. Maybe the divine justice will be served, maybe our crying will end, maybe spring comes to this street..."
After a moment of silence for Elçi, Diyarbakır Bar Association Chair Cihan Aydın made a speech, saying that the situation of human rights is worsening and unidentified murders are being covered up with the cooperation of the administration and the judiciary. Peace, which was Elçi's dream, is not even talked about, Aydın said.
"You sleep well. We know you're not alone where you have gone. There are Ape Musa, Şevket Epözdemir, Medet Serhat, Metin Can, Yusuf Ekinci and many others with you. But do not forget! There are your colleagues and friends who resist with their big hearts in the place where you left us.
"You know, there is a famous word: 'This world will change the big hearts.' Even, we have a promise about this, we will change this world. Once again, we remember you with love, respect, longing."
The killing of Tahir ElçiTahir Elçi, who was the Chair of Diyarbakır Bar Association, was murdered in front of the Four-Legged Minaret in Sur in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on November 28, 2015, during a statement for the press. Though it has been three years since the murder of Tahir Elçi, the perpetrators have still not been brought to justice. The investigation into his murder has proceeded as follows: * Two chief prosecutors and four prosecutors conducting the investigation have been changed so far. * Four law enforcement officers who were seen to be shooting in the direction of Elçi in the video footage were listened to as witnesses. * While the examination of the video footage captured by the surveillance cameras of the shops in the vicinity of the scene of incident has remained inconclusive, the fourth camera of the Mardin Kebab House, which was positioned in such a way to capture the murder, "was not working." * In the video footage captured by the police cameras, there is a 13-second gap, including the moment when Elçi was shot. * Despite the applications submitted by the attorneys of Elçi family to the Prosecutor's Office, the memory card of the police camera is not found. * No criminal investigation has been conducted on the weapons of over 30 police officers who were on the street at the time of the incident. |
(AS/VK)