21 July 2015 Daily Human Rights Report
(07/103) Massacre in Suruç…
Koray Çapoğlu, Cebrail Günebakan, Hatice Ezgi Sadet, Uğur Özkan, Narthan Kılıç, Veysel Özdemir, Nazegül Boyraz, Kasım Deprem, Alper Sapan, Cemil Yıldız, Okan Pirinç, Ferdana Kılıç, Yunus Emre Şen, Çağdaş Aydın, Alican Vural (Mehmet Ali Varol), Osman Çiçek, Mücahit Erol, Medali Barutçu, Aydan Ezgi Salcı, Nazlı Akyürek, Serhat Devrim, Ece Dinç, Emrullah Akhamur, Murat Yurtgül, Erdal Bozkurt, İsmet Şeker, Süleyman Aksu, Büşra Mete, Dilek Bozkurt, Duygu Tuna, Nuray Koca (Nuran Koçan), Polen Ünlü.
Above-mentioned 32 persons died during a bomb attack on 20 July 2015 in Suruç district of Şanlıurfa. The attack was allegedly organised by a IS/ISIS member. Several groups gathered in Suruç upon call by Socialist Youth Associations Federation (Sosyalist Gençlik Dernekleri Federasyonu / SGDF) to contribute in the construction of Kobanê between 19 and 24 July 2015. The attack was organised during a public announcement in the garden of Amara Cultural Centre in Suruç.
23 persons died during the attack. 9 more persons died in the hospital and the number of casualties reached 32. 104 persons including 20 serious ones were also wounded during the attack.
Şanlıurfa Governor İzzettin Küçük who visited Syrian border on 16 June 2015 after the occupation of IS/ISIS’ supply roads by YPG in Tal Abyad answered the questions of journalists. The Governor ordered the detention of Hasan Akbaş, correspondent with the daily Evrensel, Pınar Öğünç, journalist with the daily Cumhuriyet, correspondents of Die Welt Özlem Topçu and Deniz Yücel. The detainees were released after the identification. Hasan Akbaş addressed the Governor the question: “Some of the residents in Tal Abyad declared that they were afraid of their life safety because of the existence of IS/ISIS militants in Akçakale district of Şanlıurfa, will you make any comments about the allegations?”
Governorate of Şanlıurfa announced on 21 July 2015 ban on all demonstrations, protests, and public statements.
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş made a public statement concerning the attack and alleged that the attack could not have been organised without the support of government related groups. Selahattin Demirtaş also pointed provisional government responsible for the attack in first degree.
HDP also made a public statement and declared that the attack was against the internationalist solidarity with Kobanê and targeted revolutionaries in Turkey. HDP also stressed that HDP is being threatened every single day by those who cannot do anything against IS/ISIS. HDP alleged that governmental authorities in Ankara who caress IS/ISIS’ head are joint-offender of this vandalism.
Several media organs announced that the suicide bomber was a female IS/ISIS militant. But Dicle News Agency alleged that the attacker was Şeyh Abdurrahman Alagöz and he was in female cloths.
HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş made a public statement after the meeting of HDP Central Executive Committee: “This is a tragic event, we faced a massacre. 32 young persons, mostly university students died. We had great sorrow, but some of the attitudes and evaluations against HDP after the massacre were biting as much as the massacre.
Some of the politicians and media organs are trying to do same thing IS/ISIS wanted to reach with the massacre. We will increase the security measures in our party headquarters. We do recommend civil society organisations, our people to do the same thing. Terrorists of IS/ISIS are everywhere. But the ‘Pool Media’ labelled us for this call as if we were calling people to bear arms. They are swamped with their hatred, but they are not aware of. I know you speak for those who pay you. But no matter what you try to do, we will live in peace altogether. HDP will succeed in defiance of these skunks.”
The Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors appointed 2 more Public Prosecutors to Suruç for the investigation of the attack.
Prime Minister of the Provisional Government Ahmet Davutoğlu sent Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş, Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Labour and Social Security to visit Suruç after the attack.
Demonstrations were staged in several cities to protest in the attack. The protests were based on the allegations of IS/ISIS’ being supported and strengthened by the AKP government. The protest on Taksim Square in İstanbul was attacked by the police. During the demonstration in Mersin, 2 persons were wounded when someone opened fire from the roof of a building.
The police also attacked the protests in Bursa and Siirt, 4 persons in Bursa and 12 persons in Siirt were detained.
(07/104) Celebration Prevented…
On 19 July 2015 in Van, the police prevented the celebration of foundation of Rojava Autonomous Region by using tear gas and detained 16 persons.
(07/105) Operations and Attacks in the Southeast…
One non-commissioned officer died, 2 soldiers were wounded during an armed clash between military troops and PKK militants on 20 July 2015 nearby Kurk and Derinsu sites in Kömür town of Adıyaman.