Tahir Elçi, the chairman of the bar association in Diyarbakır, a southeastern province with a large Kurdish population, was incomprehensibly murdered last weekend. A new theory about the murder has been suggested every day, something no doubt prompted by the fact that Elçi was a human rights activist known for his sensational remarks, while the murder took place in a city that is often associated with terrorist attacks. However, the way this horrendous incident took place invalidates most arguments, which are usually just conspiracy theories.
First of all, it would be useful to take a look at how the murder was committed. The incident was far superior to any action movie plot, and although nearly all of the details can be identified from footage recorded by security cameras, the key aspects of the incident, such as the identity of the perpetrator, remain unknown.
On the evening of Nov. 27, the outlawed PKK organized an attack on a police vehicle in Diyarbakır. Three police officers were severely injured in the attack. One of the terrorists organizing the attack was killed, while the other one ran away.
Police officers in the city, who were already on alert due to this clash, stopped a suspicious taxi in the city center during the afternoon that same day. The militants who attacked the police officers were in the taxi. The militants started to fire as soon as they saw the police officers beside them. Two officers were killed, while the militants in the taxi ran away. Their destination was their rebel zone in the city's Sur district. They quickly moved away from the scene of the incident and went down a street. Let me point out that everything I have described so far was recorded by security cameras.
Meanwhile, on the street where the terrorists were heading, Tahir Elçi was issuing a press statement in the company of lawyers, press members and police officers. Soon after Elçi ended his speech, which protested the conflicts in the city, he was confronted by the militants escaping from the police officers. The lawyers and journalists started to run to get away and protect themselves. The police officers shielded Elçi, pulled their guns and opened fire on the militants approaching them. During the tumult, the journalists' cameras were recording the incident.
The murder happened in the midst of this tumult. Elçi's body was found lying on the ground. A bullet entered the back of his neck and exited through his left eye. However, dozens of cameras that were recording before, during and after the conflict did not record who shot Elçi.
Following the incident, the PKK alleged that Elçi was killed by the state, putting the blame on the state, as they always do. As a justification, they presented Elçi's highly debated remark, "the PKK is not a terrorist organization," which he uttered during a TV program a few months ago.
On the other hand, those that argued that Elçi was killed by the PKK reiterated that Elçi was also criticizing the PKK. At the press meeting he organized just before his death, Elçi was criticizing the violent policies of the organization prevailing in the city.
However, reason refutes those theses since the state wouldn't benefit from Elçi's death. And the PKK would have undoubtedly chosen a simpler method had it planned to simply create chaos by charging the state for a sensational murder since it is obvious that the murder was committed in the midst of complete chaos and before the eyes of many people and was also recorded by cameras.
No one can possibly commit such a murder after planning such a chaotic scene as part of a plan. This can only happen in failed movies.
For now, the biggest doubt is the factor that PKK militants tried to hinder the prosecutors' crime scene investigation three times. Some PKK members obfuscated nearly all evidence by attacking the group of prosecutors, who were in search of the bullet and other evidence, with heavy weapons such as missiles. It is evident whom the spoliation of evidence favors.
In the light of all the data, the strongest possibility suggests that Elçi's murder was not targeted. The only certain thing is that Elçi would be alive now had this clash not taken place.
Those searching for someone responsible for the incident can take a look at the ones terrorizing and digging ditches in city centers in an atmosphere where channels of politics are wide open. Reading Dario Fo's acclaimed play "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" would be of help, as well.
