DİYARBAKIR (DİHA) - The 6th Diyarbakır High Criminal Court ruled the opening of Ramazan Elçi’s grave for DNA examination and the determination of the reason of death. The grave will be opened on 2 February.

Ramazan Elçi was found shot in the head after being kidnapped in Cizre in 1994. The case is part of the Gendarmerie Intelligence and Antiterror Unit (JİTEM) lawsuit carried out about 52 unidentified murders in Cizre between the years of 1993 and 1995.

Abdülhakim Güven testified at police interrogation that Colonel Cemal Temizöz ordered the killing of Ramazan Elçi. “Cemal Temizöz learned that Ramazan Elçi helped the illegal organization [Kurdistan Workers Party-PKK] and ordered specialist sergeants Yavuz and Tuna to extrajudicially kill him. Ramazan Elçi was walking on the bridge. We took him in the car. We drove for ten kilometers. Tuna pulled Ramazan out of the car and took him behind a wall. Then we heard a gunshot. Tuna came back with a gun in his hand. He said “The son of a bitch is gone”. Then Yavuz went up to Temizöz’s office with Ramazan’s identity card in his hand”, told Güven in his testimony which was not involved in the indictment. Witness Hamit Onat has also seen Elçi being kidnapped by armed men in a white Toros car in 1994.

On the other hand JİTEM Group Commander Colonel Cemal Temizöz claimed that he was abroad on a NATO mission on the date. However Presidency of General Staff and Security General Directorate stated Temizöz did not leave the country.

Ramazan Elçi’s body was kept in the hospital for three days after being found. “As far as the family knew Ramazan was taken under custody, so they waited for his coming at the court. Since nobody claimed the body in three days, the hospital delivered the body to the municipality. Ramazan’s brother identified him on the last minute in the cemetery before he was buried.” tells lawyer Tahir Elçi. Elçi adds: “In our opinion, there is already enough evidence but we will try to prove the murder with scientific data.”

(bş)