In the rural Xirbe Kurîke (Tanrıyolu) neighborhood of Mardin's Mazıdağı district on November 11, Cevdet Özkan, his son Kadri Özkan and their two relatives attacked their other relatives with long-barreled guns due to a dispute on family land and Hamit Özkan lost his life as a result of the attack. 4 people were detained over the fight and Kadri Özkan was arrested. Videos taken during the attack was revealed after the attack which showed that more than one gun was used in the attack.

 

Speaking to Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about the attack, relatives of Özkan told that Cevdet Özkan, one of the attackers carried out similar attacks back in 1994 and 2008.

 

It turned out that Cevdet Özkan was sentenced to 12 years in prison after the attack he carried out in 2008, but he was released after 5 years with the new law on execution approved by AKP- MHP. During the detention of the attackers, who were understood to be volunteer village rangers, it was learned that 3 officially registered long-barreled guns were seized.

 

'HAMİT WAS KILLED'

 

When Hamit Özkan's relatives told the Mazıdağı District Governor Muhsin Duran Kalkan that Hamit was killed with the guns issued by the state, Kalkan said: "I know. We know everything. We will take necessary actions.". Relatives of Özkan who told that they could not sat anything because their house where they recieve people offering their condolences were guarded and surrounded by the gendermerie, said: "Tension may increase if we made a statement here bacause of the gendermerie, but it's clear that they killed us with the guns issued by the state. Hamit was killed as a result of the fire opened with state issued guns."

 

Relatives of Özkan continued: "Same thing happened back in 1994. We had to evacuate our village. They want to do that again. They want us to leave the village. Our relative Ali Özkan and 5 other relatives were injured in the attack back in 2008. Cevdet Özkan went to prison for it, but he was released after a short time. Now we don't know what will happen but either we will risk everything and stay here, or leave."

 

The files of the village guards, who were the perpetrators of at least 4 incidents in Mardin in which deaths and injuries occurred this year alone, are quite high. The most memorable one is the 'Bilge Village Massacre' on May 4, 2009, which also happened in Mazıdağı. 44 people lost their lives 6 of whom were children and 16 of whom were women. 6 people were injured. 

 

'THIS IS RECKLESS'

 

Fevzi Adsız, the head of the Mardin Branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD), who demands the ranger system to be abolished said the rangers are acting very reckless and they are the perpetrators of many incidents since the day the system was put into effect.

 

Adsız said that the village guards prefer to solve the problems that can be solved through legal means with the power given to them by the state, and therefore people are forced to migrate from their villages or simply get killed. He underlined that the reckless arming of uneducated people in this way causes serious human rights violations.

 

'IT CAN NOT BE STOPPED BEFORE THE RANGER SYSTEM IS ABOLISHED'

 

Stating that the people who were given a gun in their hands and a title called 'ranger' considers this as an armour, Adsız said: "The reckless behavior of the rangers that usually ends with someone losing their lives continues today. As a matter of fact, when we look at our reports, we see that these cases are increasing today due to the village guard system that caused the death of hundreds of our citizens. Tens of cases involving village guards are reported to us in one year only in Mardin. It is not possible to prevent these cases and such violations of rights unless the ranger system is abolished ”.

 

 

MA / Ahmet Kanbal