AMED – Mahsum Batı, head of the Tahir Elçi Foundation, said the state bears significant responsibility in cases of unsolved murders, calling for all perpetrators to be identified.
A Department for the Investigation of Unsolved Crimes has been established under the Ministry of Justice. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said on April 25 that efforts had begun to shed light on numerous unsolved cases, particularly murders of women and children, adding that investigations had been launched into 638 case files and 693 murders across 75 provinces.
While it remains unclear which cases will be examined and how the process will proceed, it is also uncertain whether unsolved murders in Kurdish-populated regions will be included.
Tahir Elçi Foundation head Mahsum Batı said the new department appears to focus only on criminal cases, whereas there is a broader expectation that all unsolved murders be investigated. He argued that the body risks overlooking politically motivated murders, noting that neither the minister’s statement nor official ministry communications mention any work on such cases.
‘TRUTH AND JUSTICE MUST BE ENSURED’
Referring to the case of Tahir Elçi, Batı said it is necessary to examine judicial practices regarding political murders, enforced disappearances and unsolved cases. He stated that the obstacles they faced and the loss of evidence in the Tahir Elçi case are not unique, but reflect a broader pattern.
Batı said: “In the Tahir Elçi case, as in other political murders, evidence was lost and witnesses were directed. This is because those holding public authority destroyed or concealed the evidence. All material that could have clarified the killing was eliminated or hidden by law enforcement, prosecutors and those in power.”
Batı stressed that for lasting social peace and a sustained non-conflict environment, crimes and murders linked to state actions during periods of conflict must be uncovered, confronted and addressed through justice. He added that such a reckoning could be possible if legal reforms are introduced as part of the ongoing process.
APPROACH TO THE SATURDAY MOTHERS
Batı also said responsibility for solving unsolved murders lies not only with the new department but with the state itself. He emphasized that while the state has the obligation to clarify these crimes, civil society also has a duty to keep their memory alive.
He drew attention to the long-running protests by the Saturday Mothers/People, who have for years demanded accountability for enforced disappearances. Batı questioned the Ministry of Justice’s approach toward both the group and the Human Rights Association (İHD), which has also documented such cases.
He said that despite more than a thousand weeks of protests by the Saturday Mothers, the state has taken no meaningful steps and has instead applied pressure on them, adding that this undermines expectations from the newly established department.
Highlighting the ongoing Peace and Democratic Society Process, Batı stressed: “We hope that the perpetrators will be identified, unsolved murders will be clarified, those responsible will face justice, and society will experience truth and accountability. Although it may be difficult in the near term, we maintain our hope. We must continue our struggle without giving up.”
TAHİR ELÇİ FOUNDATION
The Tahir Elçi Foundation is a civil society organization established in memory of Tahir Elçi, a prominent human rights lawyer and former head of the Diyarbakır Bar Association who was killed in 2015.
The foundation works on issues such as human rights, rule of law, accountability, and the investigation of unresolved killings and abuses. It also advocates for justice in Elçi’s case and supports efforts to document violations, promote legal reforms, and strengthen access to justice in Turkey.
MA / Rukiye Payiz Adıguzel
