Turkey: Saturday Mothers: “We have not forgotten Süleyman Cihan!“

We hereby share an unofficial translation of an article published by Yeni Demokrasi on August 8th.

The Saturday Mothers were at Galatasaray Square for their 1115th weekly protest, commemorating Süleyman Cihan, who was tortured and murdered 45 years ago.

The Saturday Mothers, who demand answers about the fate of those who disappeared and were murdered while in custody and that the perpetrators be punished, gathered in Galatasaray Square for the 1115th week of their protest.

This week’s demonstration was held to commemorate Süleyman Cihan, the General Secretary of the Proletarian Party, who was tortured to death in custody 45 years ago and whose body was buried in a pauper’s cemetery.

Sebla Arcan, who read a press statement, reported that the police initially claimed Süleyman Cihan was killed in a shootout, but later, during a site visit on July 30th, it was stated that he committed a suicide by jumping from an empty apartment on the sixth floor.

Arcan continued: “The autopsy report contained significant findings indicating that Süleyman Cihan was killed before being thrown from the sixth floor. Furthermore, although the report prepared regarding the incident is dated July 30th, 1981, there were numerous witnesses who saw Cihan at the police station after that date.”

Arcan stated that the truth emerged as a result of a persistent struggle that lasted for 85 days, saying, “Süleyman Cihan, who was detained on July 29th, 1981, was subjected to torture for days in the Political Branch of the Istanbul Police Department before being killed; his lifeless body was thrown from the sixth floor to make it look like a suicide. Then, with the intention of making him disappear, he was buried as an ‘unidentified’ in the section for the unclaimed dead in Zindanarkası Cemetery.”

“IMPUNITY IS A STATE POLICY.”

Arcan stated that despite witnesses and evidence, an effective investigation was not conducted and the case was closed due to the statute of limitations, adding, “Süleyman Cihan’s story shows that impunity is not only a mechanism that protects perpetrators. Impunity is also a State policy that covers up the truth, prevents victims from achieving justice, and allows crimes committed in the past to be carried into the future.”