Turkish Authorities Drag Body of Kurdish Man, HDP Files Complaint

HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtas tweeted a photo of the incident with a caption vowing not to forget the atrocity that had taken place
HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas tweeted a photo of the incident with a caption vowing not to forget the atrocity that had taken place

Images and videos surfaced this past weekend that appeared to show an armored police vehicle dragging the body of a Kurdish man tied by the neck to the back of the vehicle.  Much of the state-controlled media in the country quickly questioned the authenticity of the footage, though also said it was likely done as a safety precaution. The pro-AKP Aksam daily claimed that dragging bodies was a “routine practice” that is performed across the world as a security precaution, for dead bodies suspected of being booby-trapped.

It was later discovered that the body was that of Hacı Lokman Birlik, the brother-in-law of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Member of Parliament Leyla Birlik. Turkey’s Today’s Zaman newspaper said that Birlik was buried after a funeral on Saturday in the Dicle neighborhood in Sirnak, and that local HDP authorities including Leyla Birlik attended the funeral.

While the circumstances of Birlik’s death are still unclear, the HDP believes that Birlik was “executed by police,” as security forces attempted to fill in trenches dug by Sirnak residents who wished to keep police out.

During an interview with HaberTurk TV, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, “Our interior ministry…will conduct a comprehensive investigation, not into the incident itself, but into the way in which this incident was reflected to the world.”

“It is unacceptable to treat any corpse this way, even if it is a dead terrorist,” Davutoglu was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Hacı Lokman Birlik (Photo: Europics)
Hacı Lokman Birlik (Photo: Europics)

HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas tweeted a photo of the incident with a caption vowing not to forget the atrocity that had taken place. “Take a good look at this photo. It was taken in Sirnak the day before yesterday. Nobody should forget this photo, because we will not,” read the caption in Turkish.

On Oct. 7, the HDP said in a written statement that the party’s lawyer had filed a complaint about the incident. The party also began the process of introducing a parliamentary motion condemning the act.

5 Comments

  1. “Security Precaution”? And how intelligent is that, dragging the so-called booby-trapped body through residential streets. My condolences to the victims family.RIP.

  2. The dragged body image is most likely to be photoshopped because Neocons want to take advantage of AKP’s stupidity when it comes to Foreign Policy, so Neocons, War Hawks and other groups can implement the evil Sevres Treaty via the Greater Middle East project. This is just a plot to glorify the PKK because the Neocons want to break the brotherhood between Kurds and other various diverse ethnic groups in the Turkish Republic’s borders. All ethnic groups in Turkey have a right to unite against Neocons and War Hawks.

    • There’s a big differences between Kurds and the PKK. PKK and Kurds are 2 separate entities. Many Kurds have fought and died for the Turkish Republic, like Turkey’s many various ethnic groups inside it’s borders and are still on the frontlines of protecting the Turkish Republic from PKK terrorists created by Western Imperialism. PKK is just a tool of Imperialism and many Kurds are against the PKK. Infact you got 2 Presidents of Turkey that were Kurds (Ismet Inonu and Turgut Ozal). The guy who heads MIT is a Kurd (Hakan Fidan). Also Turkey’s top cleric is a Kurd (Mehmet Gormez). The MHP Deputy Leader Oktay Vural could possibly be a Kurd too (since he is from Diyarbakir). There were also many Kurds openly supporting the Turkish army after PKK killed many soldiers are few weeks back. Check the facts, period.

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