Prosecutor sees no need for probe on top general regarding Roboski massacre

ANKARA

An Ankara prosecutor has declared he sees no need for an investigation on Chief of General Staff Necdet Özel about charges of trying to sway the judiciary process regarding the Roboski (Uludere) massacre, which claimed 34 lives.

Özel was also accused of violating the confidentiality of the probe on the incident.

The air strikes were carried out near the Turkish-Iraqi border in the village of Roboski (Ortasu in Turkish) in Şırnak’s Uludere district on Dec. 28, 2011 and cost the lives of villagers after they were allegedly mistaken for outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants while smuggling goods into Turkey.

 “Some of the 34 killed people in the Uludere air raid were armed terrorists,” Özel reportedly said. “Guns were taken away [from the place where the people were killed] when we arrived there,” Özel was quoted as saying by some media reports.

“The truth about the Uludere incident will come to light soon,” Özel also reportedly said

Alper Türközmen, the prosecutor in charge of inspecting crimes committed by officials, noted in his decision that the General Staff had ruled out such claims on its official website.

In addition, such remarks would not constitute a crime, he said.

Relatives of the people killed in Uludere had ordered a lawsuit against Özel.