MUŞ – The deaths of Rahmi Kızıltaş, a father of three, and his cousin Abdullah Toprak during the 2015 curfews in Gimgim (Varto), Muş, remain unresolved as a decade-long confidentiality order continues to block access to the case file.
The two men, both construction workers, were killed amid intense clashes following the end of the 2013–2015 "peace process" between the Turkish state and Kurdish representatives. According to eyewitnesses, Kızıltaş and Toprak were executed rather than caught in crossfire. Despite this, the investigation has seen no progress over the past 10 years due to the imposed secrecy order.
‘THEY WERE CIVILIANS, NOT COMBATANTS’
Devrim Toprak, the brother of Abdullah Toprak, stated: “Both were civilians. My brother had completed his military service. But they were killed simply because they were Kurdish and labeled as ‘PKK.’” He emphasized the continued silence of authorities and expressed frustration over the lack of legal accountability.
Toprak also shared that the families struggled for days to retrieve the bodies from the Malatya Forensic Medicine Institution, facing bureaucratic obstacles. “We want peace,” he said. “We lost loved ones, but no one else should. This society deserves to live together in harmony.”
‘TWELVE BULLETS IN MY BROTHER'S BODY’
Mahsar Kızıltaş, Rahmi’s brother, recalled the day his brother left in construction clothes, only to be found dead days later. He described how the family was denied information and faced provocations when retrieving the bodies. “My brother was hit by 12 bullets. One went through his neck and exited his skull. Even if he was in a conflict, he could have been captured alive.”
‘LET NO MORE YOUNG PEOPLE DIE’
Expressing the psychological toll of constant police patrols and pressure in their neighborhood during that period, Kızıltaş stressed that the peace process must continue. “My brother was 35, a father of three. Abdullah was only 24. We support disarmament, but the state must also act. Even 10 or 20 years later, we won’t give up seeking justice.”
Kızıltaş added that many young people left the region for Europe due to state pressure, while others faced attacks in Turkey’s major cities simply for being Kurdish. “These hostilities threaten peace. We’ve lived together for years. Let us keep doing so in peace and dignity.”