İSTANBUL - Condemning the mass burial of those who lost their lives in the earthquake area, Respect for the Dead and Justice Initiative Co-spokesperson, lawyer Mahmut Erol said: "Mass burials have been banned since the Second World War. There should be respect for the dead body, mass burials should be stopped."

 

In the earthquake that took place in Maraş on February 6, more than 43 thousand citizens lost their lives, and AFAD, which was insufficient in the face of the size of the destruction, went to many regions in one day and in some regions after 2 or 3 days.

 

Due to the increase in the loss of life with each passing hour and the late intervention, the bodies of those who lost their lives were held in mosques and on the streets for hours. In particular, an image transmitted to our agency from Semsûr caused condemnation. In the image, it is seen that 10 bodies were buried in the graves opened with ladles, without washing them, wrapped in blankets with their clothes.

 

On the other hand, despite the possibility that there are still live people under the rubble, the initiation of debris removal with scoops caused the deaths of the survivors and the dismemberment of the corpses.

 

Lawyer Mahmut Erol, Co-spokesperson of the Respect for the Dead and Justice Initiative, said that mass burials are banned.

 

Erol, who was in the earthquake area and observed the events on the spot, stated that those who lost their lives were held in bags on the streets and were buried collectively, and noted that these images caused trauma to their relatives and the public.

 

BODIES ROTTED WHILE PEOPLE WERE WAITING FOR PROSECUTOR

 

Emphasizing that the dead bodies should be respected, Erol said: “The bodies were held on the street under a blanket or in a bag. In order to get the necessary permits for their dead, people put them in their cars and took them around the courthouse. While people were waiting for the prosecutor, the corpses rotted. All these show the state's inability to organize."

 

'MASS BURIAL SHOULD BE ENDED'

 

Reminding that there are ethnic groups with different beliefs in the earthquake area, Erol said: "These people should be laid to rest according to their own beliefs. The mass burials reflected in the images. Mass graves are a practice that has been banned since the Second World War."