It has been 9 years since former Chair of the Amed (Diyarbakır) Bar Association Tahir Elçi was murdered in front of the Four-legged Minaret (Dört Ayaklı Minare) on 28 November 2015. Elçi was commemorated on the 9th anniversary of his murder. Lawyers and citizens gathered in front of Diyarbakır Courthouse and organised a march in front of the place Elçi was murdered. 

 

The banner "Em te ji bîr nakin/We will not forget you" was unfurled during the march. "Tahir Elçi is immortal" and "Şehid namirin (Martyrs do not die)" slogans were frequently chanted during the march.

 

At the commemoration in front of the Four-legged Minaret, Ahmet Kaya's "Diyarbakır Song" and Tahir Elçi's last speech before he was murdered were played.

 

'FAITH IN JUSTICE HAS BEEN DAMAGED'

 

Amed Bar Association Chair Abdulkadir Güleç drew attention to the unlawfulness in the Tahir Elçi trial. Reminding that their request for discovery was rejected, Güleç said that the truth about the assassination is "being kept in the dark depths of the sovereigns". 

 

"It has been seen that the ministers' statements that 'the perpetrators will be found' is a deception. Murder of Tahir Elçi has prepared the ground for the beginning of a dark period, the rule of law has suffered serious damage since then, and the public's belif in justive has been damaged. The political crisis has deepened since then," he said. 

 

Pointing out that Tahir Elçi endeavoured for the peaceful and democratic solution of the Kurdish issue, Güleç said: "At this point, we embrace this attitude of our Chair Tahir, who freely expresses his thoughts. We reiterate our determination to fight with all our strength to clarify the assassination of Tahir Elçi. We commemorate our immortal Chair with respect and gratitude."

 

'WE CAME AS BELIEVERS IN PEACE'

 

Tahir Elçi's wife, Türkan Elçi, said: "Those who are persecuted, want peace for others, believe in the power of law, dream of a fraternal country, those of us who struggle for our right to life and justice are here. We are on this street again to tell those who ignore the law, who turn our cities into battlefields, that the right to life is sacred, that we believe in the law, and that we envision a fraternal country. We have come as brothers and sisters to explain the sanctity of the right to life of human beings, without relying on all kinds of tricks and deception with the intention of deceiving the society. We have come as those who believe in peace. We will come every year believing a little more. We will come as Kurds, Turks, Laz. Even though our colour, language and sect are different from each other we have come and will continue to come because we are human beings. We will continue to stand on the side of the oppressed and against the oppression of the oppressors." 

 

REACTION TO IMPUNITY FROM SAĞKAN

 

TBB Chair Erinç Sağkan said: "For 9 years we have been kept in the dark about what happened. This withholding was hidden behind the cover of the judiciary. For 9 years we have been gathering not to commemorate, but to continue this struggle. We are talking about Tahir Elçi's struggle until today, we are talking about his struggle against impunity. Here we will talk about his struggle against cultural values in front of the Four-Legged Minaret. Think of his wife and cildren, don't they have the right to know? For 10 years we have been denying his children and wife the right to know how Tahir Elçi was disappeared. That is why I feel ashamed."

 

During the commemoration, carnations were left in front of the Four-legged Minaret.