DÎLOK - Although the place and date of his son Murat Gökmen's death and the hospital where his body was taken are known, Halil Gökmen has not been able to receive the body of his son for 28 years.
Halil Gökmen (76), who lives in Dîlok (Antep), has been looking for the body of his son Murat Gökmen, who allegedly died in a clash one year after joining the PKK in 1996, for 28 years, although the date, place and hospital where the body was taken is known. Father Halil Gökmen stated that his son Murat Gökmen (18) joined the PKK in 1996 while he was living in Mezmaxor (Şahinbey) district and that he was informed that he was killed in a clash in Norşîn (Güroymak) district of Bedlîs (Bitlis) in 1997 after a year. Gökmen said that he learnt the news of their son's death when the police officers from Antep TEM (Anti-terror Unit) Branch gave him the news. Gökmen said that he still has not received his body for 28 years.
Gökmen stated that the police officers who came to his house said, "Your son was killed in Bitlis, go and get your funeral." Gökmen said, "Upon this, I went to Bedlis to meet with the Chief Public Prosecutor. When I went to the meeting, there were two people inside. When they asked me why I had come, I told them that I had come for my son's funeral. Then they told me that they would show me pictures and they brought me the pictures."
Halil Gökmen said that he learnt that 24 people were killed in the said clash and that he was shown the photos of 16 of them that day. Halil Gökmen stated that the prosecutor said "They are not ready yet" for the 8 pictures that were not shown and said, "There were numbers from 1 to 16 on all the bodies. I looked at all of them, my son was not among them. I waited for the other 8 bodies to be ready. Then the prosecutor told me, 'We will not give the bodies'. Their justification was 'It is forbidden'. Then I went to Bitlis Gendarmerie Centre Police Station. There was a commander there. I told him that my son was dead, but they did not give me the body. Then he took out a notebook. He asked me if my son's name was Murat. I said, 'Yes, my son's name is Murat.' Then he wrote me a compass. There was my son's identity information written on it. He wrote where my son died and where the prosecutor buried him. Then he said that they had sent the file to Wan. At that time I did not have the strength or the means to go to Wan. I also told the commander. Neither the police station gave me my body, nor was there any news about it published anywhere."
Gökmen said that he went to the bazaar in the city center from the police station and said, "A man came up to me in the bazaar and asked what I was doing here. The man told me, 'They brought a digger and buried those bodies in the city centre garbage dump. They do not give them to anyone."
Gökmen said that he had applied to the Human Rights Association (IHD) Bedlîs Branch. Gökmen stated that not even a photograph of his son was left in their house, which had been raided for years, and that only a compass with the date and place of his death was left. Stating that for 28 years he has kept the compass with him, Halil Gökmen said that he would continue to search for his son even if only his bones remained.
MA / Ceylan Şahinli