Three women killed in Turkey’s southeast by 19 bullets, governor says it is not execution

ŞIRNAK – Doğan News Agency

DHA photo

A total of 19 bullets have been found in the bodies of three women who were killed on Jan. 4 in the southeastern district of Silopi as Şırnak Governor’s Office denied media claims that the victims were assassinated. 

“Some media reports and claims on the social media alleging that three women in Silopi were executed are completely groundless and unreal,” said the office in a statement. 

“The incident took place as below. On Jan. 1, a clash with the separatist terror organization members and security forces in Silopi. Three people, who were among those involved in clashes with the security forces, were captured dead along with one magazine charger belonging to a Kalashnikov,”  it said. 

Seve Demir, a member of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Fatma Uyar and Pakize Nayır, as well as an unidentified man, were found dead in Silopi, which has been under a government siege since Dec. 14, 2015, as the government pursues military operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The autopsy report revealed that 19 bullets were found in the bodies of three women who were killed in a house in Silopi. A total of 11 bullets were found in the body of Demir, whose head was also damaged and her skull was visible.  “Due to the wide tissue losses on the hairy skin and skull, it is not clear whether the injury to the head was caused by gunfire or an explosive,” said the autopsy report.

In Uyar’s autopsy report, three bullets and “five possible cartridge bullets” were found. Five bullets were found in the body of Nayır, according to the report.

Pepoles’ Democratic Party (HDP) Şırnak deputy Leyla Birlik said in the report that she demanded further investigation into the incident on the ground that she was informed by another DBP member that there was an attack on a house and several, including Demir, were wounded before being executed.

“My point is that I was told on the phone that Seve Demir was wounded. However, she was wounded and alive but her head was damaged in the report. That means she was executed [after being wounded],” Birlik said.