Gültekin Öztürk, who wanted to cross the street in Amed on May 6, lost his life when the police hit him with a motorcycle. With Öztürk's death, all eyes once again turned to the accidents involving soldiers and police with armored or civilian vehicles in recent years, and the deaths that occurred in these accidents. There is no clear data on the incidents in which the perpetrators were soldiers or police. The most accurate data belongs to non-governmental organizations such as Gündem Çocuk Association, Turkey Human Rights Foundation (TİHV), Human Rights Association (İHD), Human Rights and Solidarity Association for the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER), Hafız Center and Baran Tursun Foundation.

 

According to the report published by İHD Amed Branch on June 8, 2023; In the last 15 years, 44 people lost their lives in 82 crashes involving vehicles used by soldiers and police. 21 of them were children. Again, 94 people, including 23 children, were injured.

 

According to Republican People's Party (CHP) Amed Deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu, the number of children who lost their lives as a result of being hit by armored vehicles in the last 3-4 years alone is 37. In his statement dated September 6, 2021, "37 children lost their lives as a result of being hit by armored vehicles in Diyarbakır, Şırnak, Van and Mardin" Tanrıkulu said.

 

According to the data we compiled from the reports of non-governmental organizations and the news published in various media outlets, at least 25 children lost their lives as a result of being hit by vehicles used by military-police officers from 2008 to May 9, 2024.

 

The police and soldiers who caused the deaths of children with armored vehicles were either not tried, were sentenced to very little punishment in the cases they were tried, or were acquitted. Attempts regarding cases that resulted in impunity were also inconclusive.

 

The last example of this was the fine of 19 thousand TL given to the police who crushed Furkan and Muhammed Yıldırım in Silopiya (Silopi) district of Şirnex. The policy of impunity was also revealed by the fact that Specialist Sergeant A.K.P., who caused the death of 5-year-old Erdem Aşkan in the Gever (Yüksekova) district of Colemêrg, was sued 8 months later and was released on condition of judicial control.

 

CHILD DEATHS

 

Some of the events that have happened since 2008 are as follows:

 

 

February 16, 2008: 16-year-old Yahya Menekşe was crushed to death by a panzer in the Cizîr (Cizre) district of Şirnex.

 

 

April 29, 2009: 7-year-old Maziye Aslan, walking on the Wan-Colemêrg highway, died after being run over by a vehicle driven by special operations police.

 

 

June 4, 2010: 10-year-old Diren Basan died after being crushed under a scorpion type armored police vehicle in Şirnex.

 

 

June 13, 2012: 9-year-old Yusuf Yılan lost his life when he was hit by an armored vehicle while he was shining shoes in the Qereyazi (Karayazı) district of Erzirom.

 

 

November 12, 2013: 16-year-old Hasan Bakdur died after being hit by a military armored vehicle in the Çömlükçü rural neighborhood of Riha's Kaniya Xezalan (Akçakale) district.

 

 

April 23, 2013: 17-year-old Sinan Saltıkalp, who was hit by an armored police vehicle in Cizîr district, was seriously injured. Saltıkalp passed away on August 29, 2013.

 

 

April 15, 2016: 17-year-old Cuma Özkaplan, who was in the minibus hit by a military armored vehicle on the Riha-Dîlok highway, lost his life.

 

 

June 7, 2016: 6-year-old Bünyamin Bayram died in an armored police vehicle in Cizîr.

 

 

July 24, 2016: 4-year-old Taha Kılıç, who was hit by the police with a panzer in Rêya Armûşê (İpekyolu) district of Wan, lost his life.

 

 

October 24, 2016: 5-year-old Hakan Sarak, who was hit by a riot police armored vehicle in Cizîr district, lost his life.

 

 

April 24, 2017: Hüseyin Barut lost his life as a result of being hit by an armored vehicle in Bismil district of Amed.

 

 

May 4, 2017: Brothers 7-year-old Muhammet Yıldırım and 6-year-old Furkan Yıldırım, who were crushed under the armored panzer that entered their house in Silopiya (Silopi) district of Şirnex, lost their lives.

 

February 9, 2017: 7-year-old Berfin Dilek, who was returning home from school in Bahçebaşı rural neighborhood of Mêrdîn's Dêrik district, died after being hit by an armored vehicle.

 

 

June 19, 2017: When the armored minibus carrying special operations police officers crashed into a passenger minibus on the Amed-Çewlig highway, 10-year-old Zilan Yamankılıç, who was in the minibus, lost her life.

 

 

August 1, 2017: 9-year-old Raşit Oso, who was hit by a scorpion type armored vehicle in the street in Şişli, Istanbul, lost his life.

 

 

October 21, 2017: 7-year-old Felek Batur, who was hit by an armored vehicle in Sêrt, died at the scene.

 

 

November 5, 2017: 5-year-old Burak İlhan lost his life when a soldier hit him with a civilian vehicle in Korik neighborhood of Êlih.

 

 

December 29, 2017: 5-year-old Ferhat Dalkılıç, who was hit by an armored police vehicle near Dicle University in Amed, lost his life.

 

 

June 29, 2018: 15-year-old Ali Ölmez, who was detained with 11 people in Andaç (Elemûn) village of Şirnex's Qileban (Uludere) district, lost his life when the armored vehicle he was in overturned.

 

 

September 23, 2018: 5-year-old Umut Özalp, who was hit by a plainclothes police vehicle in front of his house in Şirnex's Hezex (İdil) district on December 18, 2017, lost his fight for life.

 

 

September 12, 2019: 6-year-old Efe Tektekin, who was hit by a police armored vehicle in Rezan district of Amed, lost his life.

 

 

August 8, 2021: 10-year-old Eyüp Kırtay, who was hit by an armored military vehicle in the Xelat (Ahlat) district of Bêdlis, lost his life.

 

 

September 3, 2021: 7-year-old Miraç Miroğlu died after being hit by an armored vehicle in Hezex.

 

 

June 7, 2023: 5-year-old Erdem Aşkan died as a result of being hit by the vehicle driven by a specialist sergeant in the Gever (Yüksekova) district of Colemêrg.

 

 

MA / Berivan Kutlu