The body of HPG guerrilla Xebat Goyî (Ferhat Tünç), who was killed in clashes with Turkish troops on June 30, 2017, in the Herekol region in Siirt’s Pervari district, was handed over to his family eight years later.
Having already provided a DNA sample, the family were summoned to Mardin yesterday to take the remains of their son and rushed to Mardin Education and Research Hospital early in the morning. Unable to find anyone to speak to for a long time, they finally received the body late in the afternoon and took it to their hometown, Cizre district of Şırnak, for burial.
Masses gathered in front of the Asri Cemetery to bid farewell to the fallen guerrilla fighter. DEM Party Şırnak MPs Newroz Uysal Aslan and Mehmet Zeki İrmez were among the crowd who were prevented from entering the cemetery, with the police stating that only family members would be allowed in.
Servet Tünç, a brother of the martyred guerrilla fighter, was handcuffed and taken into custody by the police during a crackdown on the crowd.
The people reacted to the police blockade and entered the cemetery through a different gate. Mothers wearing white headscarves chanted “Şehîd namirin” (“Martyrs are immortal”) as they broke through the barricades.
While hundreds of people managed to take the coffin from the police, Ferhat Tünç’s mother, Rihan Tünç, said, “My son is a martyr of Kurdistan. I am not crying today; today is my son’s wedding day.”
After the ceremony, the police attacked the crowd again and battered MP Newroz Uysal Aslan. The group broke through the police barrier and went to the family’s home.