PERSISTENCE ON UNSOLVED DISAPPEARANCES

BIA
minorities/117739-persistence-on-unsolved-disappea rances
Oct 20 2009
Turkey

The Saturday Mothers/People gathered on Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square
for the 238th time to draw public attention to the disappearance of
Huseyin Toraman who was kidnapped from in front of his house 18 years
ago. They also reminded disappearance of six peasants in Silopi 16
years ago.

Bawer CAKIR bawer@bianet.org Istanbul – BÄ°A News Center20 October
2009, Tuesday Friends and relatives of lost Huseyin Toraman and 6
peasants gathered on the central Galatasary Square on Istanbul’s
popular Istiklal Avenue for the 238th time. Toraman was kidnapped
from in front of his house in Istanbul 18 years ago in 27 October 1991.

Nobody has heard from him ever since. The 6 missing peasants
disappeared from the town of Silopi in the southeast of Turkey in 1993.

When Toraman’s sister Sakine Kacar told her brother’s story, she also
read from a letter her mother wrote, "My sons kidnapper, murderers
and fascists will never be forgotten".

Leman Yurtsever talked on behalf of the Human Righst Association (Ä°HD)
Istanbul Branch Commission against Disappearances in Detention. He
reminded the 6 peasants that disappeared in Görumlu village and its
surroundings close to the town of Silopi in 1993:

"Hikmet Å~^imÅ~_ek and Hamdin Å~^imÅ~_ek from a Chaldean family were
taken from their homes with the bible in their pocket and the cross
around their necks. They said, "Look, your imam became Christian, how
do you perform the namaz behind a Christian’s back?" Then they took 7
people and brought them to the battalion. About 1 hour later gunfire
could be heard from the battalion. Abdurrahman Kayek was released
towards the evening hours. His skin was peeled off and his finger
nails had been torn out. He did not talk at all. The same night he
disappeared from the village. The families started to worry a lot. They
went to the battalion and asked Divisional Commander Mete Sayar about
their relatives. Sayar threw them out and said, ‘Get out of here! Your
village is Armenian, your imam is Armenian. Do not ask again or you
will share the same fate’. They handed a petition to the prosecutor
who said, ‘Yes, they were detained at the same day and interrogated;
they joined the mountain staff’. Nobody ever heard from them again".

Yurtsever requested the punishment of Å~^ırnak Brigade Commander
Mete Sayar and officials of the time who are to be held responsible
for the peasants’ disappearances.