The Kuşkonar and Koçağılı massacre (, ) is the name given to the 26 March 1994 massacre in which 38

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

villagers were killed and the villages of Koçağılı and Kuşkonar near the province of Şırnak were destroyed as a result of the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

' heavy bombardment. The families of victims who appealed to the Turkish court weren't convinced from the court decision that the PKK was responsible for the massacre. They appealed to the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

(ECHR) and the investigations revealed that in spite of Turkey's claims there were no clashes in the area. Turkey was condemned for killing Kurdish civilians and the ECHR ordered

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

to pay 2.3 million euros to the families of victims.

Incident

The incident took place at the villages of Koçağılı and Kuşkonar, Sirnak Province, in the morning of 26 March 1994 whilst most male residents of both villages were working in the fields outside the villages. Villagers heard aircraft flying nearby at around 10.30 and 11.00 AM.

Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...

military aircraft and a helicopter circled both villages and started to bomb them. Villagers who saw bombs tried to escape the bombardment, but machine gun fire from the helicopter prevented their escape. Some people received direct hits and some were trapped under the rubble of the houses that were destroyed in the bombing. After the bombardment 38 people had died, 13 people in Koçağılı and 25 in Kuşkonar. Most of those who died were children, women or elderly, including seven babies. In addition, a total of 13 people were injured. Later the

soldiers blamed the

Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...

(PKK) and used the incident as a propaganda. The government had also refused to start investigations despite the complaints of the survived villagers and their relatives. According to the court, blaming the PKK for crimes like this was back then common act by Turkish government.

Aftermath

The lawyer of the case was

Tahir Elçi Tahir Elçi (1966, Cizre – 28 November 2015) was a Kurds, Kurdish lawyer and the chairman of Diyarbakır Bar Association. Early life and education He went to primary and secondary school in Cizre and graduated from Dicle University in 1991. I ...

, a Kurdish lawyer and activist. He had been previously threatened by state-sponsored factors for not labelling the PKK as a terrorist organization.

References

Massacres of Kurds Massacres in Turkish Kurdistan 1994 murders in Turkey History of Şırnak Province March 1994 in Turkey March 1994 crimes Massacres in 1994 Massacres committed by Turkey Airstrikes conducted by Turkey Persecution of Kurds in Turkey 20th-century mass murder in Turkey Helicopter attacks 1994 building bombings Residential building bombings in Turkey Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency European Court of Human Rights cases involving Turkey {{Massacre-stub

Incident

Aftermath

See also

References