Roboski: How to become happy

MEHVEŞ EVİN

It has been 581 days since the Roboski massacre took place… It is still unknown upon whose orders the 34 civilian young people have died on December 28, 2011, with bombs launched from two F-16 war planes.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, even though delayed for some 17 months, met with families from Roboski at Şırnak. Despite everything, I believe this meeting is extremely important and necessary. At least, from the point of the image of the government and the salvation of the peace process.

Well, is it possible to say the same thing for families from Roboski?

When I visited Roboski at the anniversary, I met with some of the families. I stayed with the family of the one of the killed young people, Şervan Encü. I ate the food cooked by Şervan Encü’s mother and sisters. I will never forget their friendship, their hospitality and the dignity they maintained despite their pain.

I’m asking for their forgiveness before I engage in saying a few words on their behalf.

Exactly on the contrary of the headline daily Takvim had, as if to mock the families, the one that said, “Uludere is happy” the pain and sorrow of the families from Roboski will not end because they have met the prime minister.

Actually, Uludere will never be happy. Those families know it well; families who have lost their child, especially at the hands of others, for no reason, know that that pain never goes away… Especially if it is a massacre in question, then the pain will never be forgotten for generations.

Maybe, only if there is a just trial, if the offenders are found, if those responsible are punished, then there could a bit of a peace.

In fact, there is still no apology. But, thankfully, eyes have watered… It is still not known who gave the orders, but there is the promise of “the incident will be followed up.” He case is still at the military court but the prime minister said “there could be a positive result.”

Families from Roboski are still being tried because they have held a commemorative service at the spot where their children were hit but they are being told “to be patient.”

Since the prime minister has promised to the families that “what we have talked will not just remain [as words] here,” then our first expectation is that the Parliament’s Uludere investigation is restarted… And, this time, without repeating the same flaws, with a genuine investigation.

If you remember, the Parliament’s Human Rights Investigation Commission had accepted the report from the subcommittee that researched the Uludere massacre on March 28 with the votes of the AK Party members of the commission. The report said, “The opinion was reached that there was no evidence that the incident was inflicted intentionally. “

We do hope that the watering of the eyes of the prime minister will result in the Parliament to decide to act justly and courageously for Roboski. We hope that officials learn to apologize first at each human rights incidnet, at each death at the hands of the state, before stomping on the pain of people.

Only then, we will be able to start talking of a Turkey that is changing, that is trying to undergo democratization.

Mehveş Evin is a columnist for daily Milliyet in which this piece was published on July 31. It was translated into English by the Daily News staff.