SERPİL SAVUMLU

News Center- On December 14, 2025, a 24-hour curfew was declared in the Cizre district of Şırnak province by the Şırnak Governor's Office and the curfew was imposed in the district for 79 days. During the curfew that was lifted on March 2, 2016, 288 people were killed by Turkish security forces, 177 of them were burned alive in three basements. According to the reports, a baby, 41 children and 22 women were killed in the basements. Apart from the people killed in the basements, dozens of civilians, including unborn babies, 3-month-old Miray İnce, mothers and teenagers were killed by the Turkish security forces during the 79-day curfew. The district was subjected to intense artillery fire for days.

According to the report released by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in April 2016; tens of civilians including unborn babies, three-year-old Miray İnce, an 80-year-old man and 50-year-old mothers were subject to state violence, and lost their lives along with tens of others who were injured. 32-year-old Hediye Şen, mother of three, was killed with eight bullets on the second day of the siege inside her house in the Cudi neighborhood. Hediye Şen was the first person, who was killed during the curfew. 12-year-old Bişeng Garan was killed as her family tried to leave a basement. 17 year old Nidar Sümer was wounded by an armored vehicle stationed by the hospital near her house. Cahide Çıkal was shot dead in the kitchen when security forces opened fire against the house. When 22-year-old Zehra Uca was killed, she was eight months pregnant. 32-year-old Güler Yamalak, who was pregnant, was shot in front of her house by Turkish armed forces. She lost her unborn baby.

People burned alive in basements

During the curfew, people taking shelter in three basements were burned alive. Some were executed while they were injured. They were buried in the cemetery of the nameless without being identified. Some families found their killed relatives after DNA tests. Debris mixed with human remains were dumped on the banks of the Tigris River. Almost all of the dead bodies were unrecognizable because they were either burned or in pieces. Although eight years have passed, the total number of the people, who were killed in the basements, is still unknown. The photos and footage shared on social media platforms by paramilitary forces such as “JİTEM, PÖH, JÖH” documented what had happened during the curfew imposed on Cizre.

Killed people declared as ‘terrorists’

Lawyer Ramazan Demir, who has been representing the victims of Cizre, says that several legal processes have been started regarding those who were killed during the curfew. “Although the prosecutor's office should initiate an ex officio investigation when someone is killed, the prosecutor’s office made a decision without initiating investigations into the killing of the people during the curfew,” Ramazan Demir said.

Underlining that all people, who were killed during the curfew imposed in Cizre, are declared as “terrorists”, Ramazan Demir said, “Therefore, we cannot actually talk about an independent and impartial trial and investigation process. The prosecutor's offices made exactly the same decision in all cases about the killing of people during the curfews imposed in Şırnak, Silopi and Cizre.”

Although eight years have passed, there is still no progress in the investigations into the circumstances of the killing of 177 people in basements. In February 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rejected a case against the Turkish state over rights violations by Turkish security forces during curfews in Cizre. In July 2022, Turkish Constitutional Court rejected the application regarding the killing of several people during the curfew.

Where is Feride Yıldız?

Ramazan Demir said that the total number of the people killed in Cizre during the curfew is still unknown. “The perpetrators have gone unpunished. We do not know how many people were killed during the curfew. The dead bodies of many people have not been found yet. For instance, we do not know where the body of Feride Yıldız is. We think that her body is under the buildings built by the TOKİ (Housing Development Administration of Turkey). Turkey could not document how many people had been killed during the curfew imposed in Cizre.”

Ramazan Demir told us that 20 applications were filed with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). “The ECtHR has not yet responded to these applications. We just received a document saying that the applications were received. The ECtHR has not decided to examine the cases. We wait for the decision. It will take some time. But we expect a quick and effective investigation from the ECtHR.”