Nine years have passed since the Roboski Massacre, and there is no single trial held regarding the true perpetrators of the massacre. The mothers who lost their children in Roboski said, “Our pain has never been alleviated. The day they were murdered, the world turned cold for us and nothing has been the same after that day”.
On the night of December 28, 2011, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) carried out a bombardment in the Roboski village of Şırnak’s Uludere district. Villagers crossing the Iraqi border were bombarded from air. There were 38 villagers and at least 50 mules in that group, including children. 35 people were massacred as a result of the bombardment. 18 of those massacred were under the age of 18.
The mainstream media was blind, deaf and mute about the Roboski Massacre until a statement made by General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces.
The burned dead bodies of those who were massacred were tied to the mules by the villagers and brought to their village. Despite the past 9 years, the murders, while perpetrators were known, have not been on trial. The pain and anger of the families are as alive as the first day.
‘My son died because an ambulance was not allowed to go’
Xezal Encü, the mother of 17 years old Cemal Encü, who lost his life in the Roboski massacre 9 years ago, stated that the mourning about her son’s pain will never end. She said that her only bonds with her son were the memories and belongings. Xezal, showing the belongings of her son, expressed that her son and friends were working to cover school expenses and contribute to the family. Xezal said, “On the day of the incident, I asked my son not to go. He said, “No Mom, I will go.” Soldiers also were on the road that day. The soldiers did not tell them not to go. They were leaving early in the morning, arriving home about 9 pm. When he did not come at the time we expected, we thought our children were under custody. But when we went to the border, we saw all of our children were killed. Our innocent children were killed by four helicopters. When we arrived at the bombed place, my child was injured and his body was still warm. They did not allow the ambulance to go to the bombed place. My son and other injured people died because of this.”
‘White headscarf is the symbol for justice’
“The meat of our children and mules were mixed together,” said Xezal and stated that she waited without getting tired until the perpetrators were found. Xezal said that she always dressed in black and continued to mourn with it, and the white headscarf on her head symbolizes the belief that justice will come one day, and added, “Our children were unrecognizable, but this was also covered. All of those who lost their lives in the massacre went to earn only 50-100 TL. I will never forget this massacre. Although nine years have passed since the massacre, there has been no development. The criminals were not punished. There is no justice in Turkey. All of our children were students. My pain is just like the first day. We could not go to celebrations due to mourning. There will always be mourning for us until justice is ensured. Our only wish is for those responsible to be punished ”.
‘My world turned cold the day they were massacred’
Kadriye Encü, the mother of Hamza Encü, who was 21 years old when he massacred, said that her son worked for his dreams. Kadriye said, “The dreams of 34 people disappeared with this massacre. Our children had no sin. A few days after I buried my son’s body, we found one of his arms near the scene of crime. We also buried the arm we found in his grave. We have been living with mourning for nine years. Nobody spoke about it when the massacre happened. Our pain has never been alleviated. Our world turned to cold the day they were murdered, and nothing has been the same since that day. This pain will not decrease until those who massacred our children are punished. My grandchildren ask “Why did they kill our uncles?” We do not have any answers to these questions. We go to the cemetery every Thursday and try to be patient. They buried 34 students in the ground. After the massacre, the goverment said “it happened by a mistake”. How can we accept this?
“We will fight until justice is served”
Stating that they continue the struggle until justice is provided and the perpetrators are punished, Kadriye said, “If the perpetrators of Roboskî were punished, people would not die in Ankara, Cizre, Şırnak, and Diyarbakır. Our only demand is justice. If justice had been served, there would not have been so many massacres. It is enough! There were a lot of massacres, people were murdered. End this cruelty! The state is judging us, rather than judging the perpetrators. We have been under oppression of state for nine years. We will not be silent until justice is served”.
Ayşe said, “Loosing a child is very bad for a mother. Five of my children were massacred. All these years have passed, justice has not been served. Those who murdered our children tried to cover up the massacre by paying us compensation. They want to buy the blood of our children. We do not want compensation for the dead of our children. We will continue to resist until justice is served. My other son Behçet Encü (Cûdi Roboskî) took part in the freedom struggle for 14 years. He was murdered last year while fighting against ISIS. We will not stop until justice comes. ”.
‘Perpetrators of Roboskî and other massacres should be punished’
Leyla Encü, mother of Şervan Encü, who was murdered by bombs in Roboskî when he was just 16, said that they have always said the same things for 9 years.“I’m tired of telling about the massacre that happened. I am the mother of these 34 people, all they are like our children for us. Every day is the anniversary of a massacre in Kurdistan.Because those who commit the massacre are always left as unpunished. Enough! How long will these massacres be experienced? May this war come to an end and peace rules the whole world. Kurdish mothers have to bury the body of their children every day. Mothers’ hearts are burning. We want the perpetrators of Roboskî and all other massacres to be punished,” she said.
