To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the massacre of 34 people in Roboski, Southeast Turkey, and take stock of the continuing lack of accountability and reparations for the victims and their family members, the ICJ convened a group of experts on 13 December.
“The Roboski massacre was carried out in clear violation of international human rights law”, said Roisin Pillay, Director of the ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme, “Since then, the Turkish authorities have further violated their international obligations by failing to provide investigation or accountability for the arbitrary killings. Ten years later, the Turkish authorities must end this impunity.”
On 28 December 2011, 34 persons living in Turkish villages near the border with Iraq, including 17 children, were killed by a Turkish military bombshell during a purported “counter-terrorism” operation, known as the “Roboski massacre”.
Ten years later, no light has been shed on these facts and the victims and their family members have seen no convictions, trial of alleged perpetrators nor any adequate measures of reparation or truth, despite their continuous quest for justice nationally and internationally. They are now seeking remedies at the UN.
The event featured the following speakers:
– Ferhat Encu, former Member of Parliament (GNAT) and family member of victims
– Kerem Altiparmak, lawyer of the victims
– Roisin Pillay, Director of the ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme
– Gabriella Citroni, Adjunct Professor of International Human Rights Law, University of Milano-Bicocca, senior legal advisor at TRIAL International, WGEID member
Full video of the event
Individual presentations:
- Ferhat Encu
- Kerem Altiparmak
- Roisin Pillay
- Gabriella Citroni