In their 1127th week meeting, Saturday Mothers brought to the agenda the fate of 7 people and specialist sergeant Bilal Batırır, who were not heard from after being detained in Mardin's Dargeçit district in 1995.
In the statement made in Galatasaray Square, people reacted to the dismissal of the case in which 18 defendants were acquitted in 2026 on the grounds of statute of limitations.
Saturday Mothers, who have been protesting since 1995 to demand the clarification of the fate of their relatives who disappeared in custody and the prosecution of those responsible, called for justice for the Dargeçit File at this week's meeting. Families carrying photos of their missing people and carnations stated that they would continue their fight against the dismissal of the case on the grounds of statute of limitations.
7 PEOPLE DISAPPEARED IN CUSTODY
According to the statement of the Saturday Mothers, house raids were carried out by soldiers and village guards in the Dargeçit district of Mardin between 29 October and 8 November 1995. Many people, including children and women, were detained and taken to Dargeçit Gendarmerie Battalion.
Of those detained, 12-year-old Davut Altunkaynak, 13-year-old Seyhan Doğan, 16-year-old Nedim Akyön, 19-year-old Mehmet Emin Aslan, 20-year-old Abdurrahman Olcay, 21-year-old Abdurrahman Coşkun and 57-year-old Süleyman Seyhan were never heard from again. Families were told that their relatives were released after interrogation or went to the mountains.
In the statement, it was stated that on March 6, 1996, the headless and burned body of Süleyman Seyhan was found in a well, and two days later, Bilal Batırır, a specialist sergeant from the Dargeçit Gendarmerie Battalion, was lost. It was stated that Batırır was lost because he could have conveyed what happened in the battalion to higher authorities.
BONES OF THE MISSING WERE FOUND IN EXCAVATIONS
Stating that an effective investigation was not carried out for a long time despite the applications of the families, Saturday Mothers stated that the file was reopened in 2009 with the initiatives of the families and the Human Rights Association.
During excavations carried out between 2012 and 2015 in line with witness accounts, bones belonging to people disappeared in custody were discovered. It was noted that the bones were found in wells in the military zone, which was forbidden to civilians in the past, and that traces of severe torture were detected on them.
18 DEFENDANTS WERE ACQUITTED, THE CASE WAS RULED OUT OF THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
As a result of the investigation, a lawsuit was filed against 18 people, including the then Mardin Gendarmerie Commando Battalion Commander Hurşit İmren, Dargeçit District Gendarmerie Commander Mehmet Tire and other soldiers and village guards, on charges of "premeditated murder".
Adıyaman 1st High Criminal Court decided to acquit 18 defendants on July 4, 2022, on the grounds that concrete, definitive and convincing evidence could not be obtained. After the appeal application was rejected on May 7, 2024, the file was moved to the Supreme Court. The 1st Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that the case be dismissed in 2026 on the grounds that the 30-year statute of limitations has expired.
Saturday Mothers argued that the statute of limitations decision perpetuated impunity and emphasized that those responsible and the orders given in the incidents should be revealed.
The statement ended with the words: "The Dargeçit File will not be closed for us until the fate of our losses is announced, all those responsible are held accountable and justice is provided." Families stated that they will not give up their demand for justice despite the years that have passed.
