NEWS CENTER - IHD and relatives of the disappeared stated that although the perpetrators of the murder of Kurdish politician Vedat Aydın 33 years ago are known, they have not been tried. Aydın's wife said: "Decisions on the murders were made from above and implemented from below". 

 

Relatives of the disappeared and Human Rights Association (IHD) Amed (Diyarbakır-Kurdistan) Branch gathered in front of the Right to Life Monument in Koşuyolu Park in Rezan (Bağlar) district of Amed for the 804th week of the protest "Let the disappeared be found, let the perpetrators be tried". Relatives of the disappeared and rights defenders unfurled a banner with pictures of the disappeared and carried banners of the disappeared. This week they asked for the perpetrators of People's Labor Party (HEP) Amed Provincial Chair Vedat Aydın, who was taken from his home on July 5, 1991 to be detained and whose lifeless body was found in the Maden district of Xarpêt. 

 

Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Sûr Municipality Co-Mayor Adnan Örhan, the family of HEP Amed Provincial Chair Vedat Aydın, who was murdered on July 5, 1991, and many people attended today's demonstration. Speaking first, IHD Amed Branch Chair Ercan Yılmaz talked about the story of Vedat Aydın's death. Yılmaz said that although 33 years have passed, the state mindset has not changed and Kurdish politicians, human rights defenders and journalists are punished for the solutions they produce. 

 

AYDIN'S WIFE: THE PERPETRATORS ARE AMONG US

 

Vedat Aydın's wife Şükran Aydın then took the floor and commemorated those who lost their lives in the name of Vedat Aydın. Describing the day Vedat Aydın was murdered, Aydın said: "I myself handed Vedat Aydın over to the Diyarbakır Police Department. My testimony has been the same since the first day. It was Diyarbakır Police officers who detained Vedat Aydın. They just said 'he has a statement'. The state made the decision to kill Vedat Aydın, not the 4 police officers. The decision came from above. The Prime Minister, the President, the Chief of the General Staff were all aware of it. The instruction came from there and the police officers took it to kill him. For us the perpetrators have not disappeared, they are here. We know who the perpetrators are. We will continue the case for our disappeared until the end of our lives. Despite the pain we have suffered, our wish is that those who made us suffer should suffer the same pain. I repeat what we have said from the first day until today; the decision for all unsolved murders was made from above and implemented from below." 

 

'MURDERS WILL REMAIN HIDDEN WITHOUT SOLVING THE KURDISH ISSUE' 

 

Veysi Aydın, Vedat Aydın's brother, took the floor afterwards and said that it was the state's decision not to shed light on a political murder even after 33 years. "We applied to the court, we said 'these are the murderers', but their statements were not even taken" Aydın said. Stating that Vedat Aydın was intended to send a message to the society, Aydın said: "This is why this case is a political case. The state and we know the perpetrators of this case. This is why we call it a murder with a known perpetrator. This is also related to the Kurdish issue. Without solving the Kurdish issue, these murders will remain hidden. Once again we say, enough of this blood, enough of this loss, enough of this cost. We know the killers, the perpetrator is known to us even if the trials are over, even if there is a statute of limitations. The labor of those who lost their lives will be a light for our struggle."

 

After the speeches, the story of Vedat Aydın's murder was read. Afterwards, a sit-in protest was organized for the disappeared. The statement ended after the sit-in. 

 

ÊLIH 

 

In Êlih, IHD and relatives of the disappeared gathered in front of the Human Rights Monument on Gülistan Street for the 640th week of their protest. Relatives of the disappeared, human rights defenders, members of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) Êlih branch, DEM Party and DBP Êlih provincial organization executives participated in the demonstration where the banner "Let the disappeared be found, let the perpetrators be tried" was unfurled. Speaking at the protest, Hüseyin Elçi, Director of IHD Êlih Branch, stated that they will continue to ask for the fate of the disappeared until they get results and called for justice. 

 

The story of HEP Amed Provincial Chair Vedat Aydın was read at this week's protest. The statement ended with a sit-in protest.