'A Big Lie Came Out of State Archives': Where is the Grave of Levon Ekmekjian?
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"Should we feed them instead of hanging them?"
This is one of the trademark words of Kenan Evren, the leader of the 1980 coup, who would not hesitate to approve the executions of political prisoners after becoming the president.
Some rumors say that Evren uttered these words just before the execution of Levon Ekmekjian on January 28, 1983, in the capital Ankara.
Rumors also say that Ekmekjian was assured that he won't be executed if he tells everything he knows about the ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia), an armed group active from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, killing dozens of diplomats from Turkey.
The place of Ekmekjian's grave has been a total conundrum for 36 years as the bones given to Ekmekjian's family were not belong to him, but a woman and some animals.
Wrong bones given to family
The Ekmekjian family began their legal struggle in 2013 to find the grave of Levon Ekmekjian. Attorney Eren Keskin, the then co-chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD) followed the legal process.
Upon the request of the family, Keskin made an application to the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice. The latter said in response on February 21, 2013, that the authorized institution is the Çankaya District Municipality in Ankara.
The municipality informed the family that the grave is at the lot 504, block 55. The grave was opened after a long official process.
The bones were sent to the Ekmekjian family, who live in France, on January 8, 2016. The family had the bones tested at the forensic medicine institution in Paris to be sure that the remains belong to Levon.
However, the result said the bones belong to "a 145-150 tall woman aged between 55 and 60 and some animals."
Attorney Keskin then made an application to the Presidency of the Legal Services at the Turkish Land Forces, demanding information on the place of the grave. In response, the Presidency said, "There is a minute regarding the grave being delivered to an officer from the Ankara Directorate of Cemeteries." But there was no license for burying, it added.
Keskin and the Ekmekjian family did not give up pursuing the grave. The attorney demanded one million Turkish liras of compensation from the Ministry of Interior as "the family suffered pecuniary and spiritual damage."
"They always say, 'Let's open the archives'"
Speaking to bianet, Keskin said, "We opened the grave that was in the official state records. We took the bones of a woman we don't know from that grave and sent it to Paris. We know that woman is an Armenian because they bury Armenians in that part [of the cemetery]. What do the family do now?"
"The state always says, 'Let's open the archives.' Okay, we opened the archive but a big lie came out of it," Keskin added.
The attorney said, "They say they buried the body, in the place they said, there was another person's body. The family suffered heavy spiritual and pecuniary damage because of this situation. We then submitted a petition for a compensation of one million Turkish liras to the ministry of Interior."
Ministry should respond in 60 days
Stating that the Ministry should give a response within 60 days, Keskin said otherwise they will go to the Administrative Court.
"Our purpose is not to make a monetary gain, our purpose is to be shown the place of the grace. The Ministry of Interior cannot say, 'This happened in 1980, we are not responsible.' Continuity is essential for the state. For this reason, we, as the İHD and the Commission Against Discrimination, will follow the process." (EMK/VK)