DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — Turkish officials have removed a monument memorializing the victims of the Roboski Massacre, the 2011 bombing of 34 civilians by Turkish forces, from Rojava Park in Diyarbakir by order of the politically-appointed trustee Mustafa Kilicin.
On Monday morning, Turkish officials reduced the bronze sculpture to its concrete foundation, according to Hurriyet news agency. Sculptor Suat Yakut had created a woman on her knees, hands raised, mourning the victims of the December 28, 2011 bombardment.
Roboski came under international spotlight in the closing days of 2011 when 34 alleged smugglers were killed in a Turkish airstrike, reportedly carried out by unmanned drones targeting the group of mainly teenagers who had reportedly been mistaken for Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters.
The attack, which the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) called a “crime against humanity,” sparked week-long clashes between protesters and the police in the predominantly Kurdish province.
New York-based Human Rights Watch blamed Turkey in 2013 for failing the families of victims in their search for justice by still not disclosing who had ordered the attack.
Turkey’s Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of directly ordering the attack, saying the leader knew he was targeting civilians.
The trustee also removed a statue of Lamassus in the Municpality of Diyarbakir. Lamassus is a creature from Assyrian history, typically shown as having a human’s head, an animal’s body, and the wings of a bird.
On Monday morning, Turkish officials reduced the bronze sculpture to its concrete foundation, according to Hurriyet news agency. Sculptor Suat Yakut had created a woman on her knees, hands raised, mourning the victims of the December 28, 2011 bombardment.
Roboski came under international spotlight in the closing days of 2011 when 34 alleged smugglers were killed in a Turkish airstrike, reportedly carried out by unmanned drones targeting the group of mainly teenagers who had reportedly been mistaken for Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters.
The attack, which the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) called a “crime against humanity,” sparked week-long clashes between protesters and the police in the predominantly Kurdish province.
New York-based Human Rights Watch blamed Turkey in 2013 for failing the families of victims in their search for justice by still not disclosing who had ordered the attack.
Turkey’s Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of directly ordering the attack, saying the leader knew he was targeting civilians.
The trustee also removed a statue of Lamassus in the Municpality of Diyarbakir. Lamassus is a creature from Assyrian history, typically shown as having a human’s head, an animal’s body, and the wings of a bird.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment