The “October 6-7 incidents,” as they are commonly known, claimed 35 lives across Türkiye in 2014. As the country edges closer to the goal of the full dissolution of the terrorist group PKK, the riots incited by a PKK-linked party bring back painful memories for the families of the victims.
Yasin Börü, a teenager, became a symbol of the impact of PKK violence when he was killed by an angry mob in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır as he was going door-to-door with three friends to deliver charitable donations to families in need.
The riots, which also paved the way for the collapse of the “reconciliation process” aimed at ending PKK violence, were linked to a call by the now-defunct Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) for Türkiye to help members of the terrorist group YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK. The HDP invited its supporters to take to the streets for “protests,” which quickly evolved into all-out riots in 35 provinces, particularly in the southeast, where the PKK sought to exploit disillusioned Kurdish youth for its separatist agenda.
Pro-PKK groups set up barricades and launched attacks on public buildings as well as the residences of people viewed as anti-PKK. Along with civilians, two police officers were killed in the riots, while another 761 people were injured. After the riots died down, authorities launched investigations into more than 1,600 suspects, 386 of whom were arrested.
Börü, Hasan Gökguz, Ahmet Dakak and Riyat Güneş were volunteers for a charity known for its anti-PKK stance. As they were delivering meat to families in need, they were cornered inside a building by a mob. They were severely beaten and tortured inside the building where they had taken refuge. They were then thrown out of a window, and their bodies were mutilated.
Forty-one defendants were put on trial for the killings of Börü and the others, and 18 of them were sentenced to life imprisonment.
