QERS – Zahir Serbest, who was arrested after enduring 17 days of torture while wounded during the Dîgor Massacre, stated, “The state and the court constantly tried to blame the PKK, but we knew all the police officers who opened fire.”
On August 14, 1993, residents from over 20 villages near Dîgor district protested against forced village guard recruitment, food embargoes, house raids, detentions, and torture. As they approached the district centre, over 3 thousand people were stopped two kilometres away and subjected to unprovoked live fire by special operations police. The attack resulted in 17 deaths, including 6 children, and over 200 injuries.
The names of those who lost their lives in the massacre are as follows: Gülcan (8), Zeynep (19), Selvi (14), Hasan Çağdavul (43); Yeter Kerenciler (13), Necla Geçener (14), Zarife Boylu (15), Erdal Buğan (17), Hacer Hacıoğlu (20), Suna Çidemal (21), Fatma Parlak (22), Faruk Aydın (27), Cemil Özvarış (39), Gıyasettin Çalışçı (41), Süleyman Taş (47), Fahrettin Orun (80) and Tütiye Talan (66).
Despite charges of "intentional killing" against eight special operations police officers, the court ruled the massacre as "legitimate defence," acquitting the officers. After exhausting domestic legal options, seven families brought the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which condemned Turkey for violations of the right to life and failure to conduct effective investigations.
‘THEY EVEN SHOT INJURED PEOPLE’
Zahir Serbest, 32 at the time and wounded in the leg during the massacre, recounted the events and the state oppression they faced. He said the state exerted intense pressure, including religious discrimination and public torture, prompting the community’s peaceful protest. “When special forces opened fire without warning, it turned into a massacre. They even shot injured people in front of our eyes,” Serbest recalled.
‘THE STATE TRIED TO BLAME PKK’
Serbest was detained at home days after being discharged from hospital and tortured for 17 days before being imprisoned for 18 months. He said: “The state tried to shift the blame onto the PKK. Despite naming the police who fired at us and their weapons, the court insisted it was the PKK’s doing.”
He also highlighted the racist policies underpinning the violence, stating, “If there was justice and equality in Turkey, none of this would have happened. The state must recognize that those they call heroes are actually perpetrators of violence.”
MA / Omer Akin