Turkish army, gov’t produced Uludere report: Main opposition

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Mothers of two among 34 civillian villagers from Uludere district killed in an air strike on Dec 28, 2011, when they were allegedly mistaken for PKK militants. DHA photo

A draft report on the Uludere incident that claimed a flaw in coordination between military and security officials was the main reason behind the death of 34 civilians was a co-production of the General Staff and the government in order to cover up the incident, a deputy of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) suggested March 11.

CHP deputy Levent Gök, who is a member of Parliament’s Human Rights Inquiry Commission’s sub-commission assigned to examine the controversy surrounding the Uludere tragedy, held a press conference days after the sub-commission approved the draft report 5-3 on March 6, with all five votes being cast by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“This report is a report which should be thrown away as garbage. It will remain a black stain in the history of humanity and it is a report which covers up realities. This report is made up of a text that the General Staff and the government produced deliberately in order to cover up the Uludere incident,” Gök said, noting that the CHP had presented their 62-page report of dissenting opinion to Parliament.

Gök also claimed that a false idea that Fehman Hüseyin, a senior leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), was in the region to launch attacks against military stations was created and successfully tricked almost all army members and the government, without saying who created this perception.

The Uludere incident refers to the death of 34 civilian villagers in an air strike on Dec. 28, 2011, when they were allegedly mistaken for PKK militants as they smuggled oil as well as other goods from northern Iraq. “Authorities made a risky decision about the characteristic of the group, which was followed for a long time; that decision related to the annihilation of Hüseyin at any cost. This is the secret behind the Uludere incident,” Gök said, adding authorities ignored the fact the group was smugglers.

“It is certain that all kind of information and intelligence as well as the operation to be launched concerning Hüseyin was discussed at the MGK [National Security Council] which is composed of the president; the prime minister; the deputy prime ministers; ministers of justice, interior, defense, foreign; the chief of general staff; commanders of land, air and naval forces; and the gendarmerie general command. In Uludere incident, all high-ranking officials of the state have a common destiny, this is the only reason why the Uludere incident couldn’t be clarified up to today.”