Kurdish human rights lawyer Tahir Elçi, was commemorated in Amed (tr. Diyarbakır) on the tenth anniversary of the assassination. On the initiative of the Amed Bar Association, of which Elçi was president, numerous people gathered in front of the Diyarbakır Courthouse and marched in a memorial procession to the scene of the crime at the Four-Legged Minaret in the central district of Sur.
In addition to Elçi’s family, the president of the Turkish Bar Association (TBB), Erinç Sağkan, and numerous representatives of professional associations, political parties, and civil society organizations also took part in the commemoration. Many participants wore Elçi’s portrait on their lapels. Banners in Turkish and Kurdish commemorated the lawyer with the words “We will not forget you.”
Accompanied by applause and chants of “Tahir Elçi is immortal,” the crowd reached the scene of the crime, where a recording of his last words was played, as well as the song “Diyarbakır Türküsü” by Ahmet Kaya.
“His words light the way for us”
Abdulkadir Güleç, chairman of the Amed Bar Association, stated that Elçi had been the target of a political assassination. The crime, which took place in front of rolling cameras in 2015, has still not been solved, and the legal investigation has been inadequate, he said. “There is a lack of political and legal will to name the perpetrators. Even ten years later, the same impunity that Tahir Elçi fought against throughout his life still prevails.”
Güleç stressed that Elçi was an advocate for the disenfranchised – a champion of truth and justice who fought against torture, displacement, enforced disappearances, and discrimination. “His guiding principle was: there is no justice without truth, no peace without justice.” His murder is symbolic of the depth of impunity in Turkey. “Those who want peace must fully investigate his murder.”
TBB President Sağkan: “No remembrance without justice”
TBB President Erinç Sağkan described the event not as a commemoration in the usual sense, but as a demand for justice. “We have been here for ten years, not to mourn, but because of the fact that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.”
As long as those responsible are not held accountable, there can be no dignified remembrance, Sağkan said. “Anyone who truly wants to commemorate Tahir Elçi must not accept impunity. A democratic society is based on respect for human rights, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary—everything that Elçi stood for. We will continue to defend these principles without taking a step back.”