Medine Mamedoğlu - Piroz Zırığ

 

ŞIRNAK - A picture reflected on September 8, 2015 when the first curfew was declared in Cizre, revealed the state's proper to the Kurds. Emine Çağırga, mother of Cemile Çağırga who was killed outside of her home on September 7, 2015 and remained in the refrigerator for three days, still remembers the three days as if it was today even if two years has passed. “Three days are short for you but I froze in the refrigerator for three days,” said Emine while talking about what had happened.

 

Two years have passed since the second curfew was declared in Cizre district of Şırnak province on December 14, 2015. First curfew was declared in the district on September 4, 2015 and it was lifted on September 12, 2015. The second curfew, which was imposed in the district between December 14, 2015 and March 1, 2016, was first partially lifted and then was completely lifted. During the first curfew lasted eight days, 21 people, including children were killed by the state forces; their names are Mehmet Emin Levent (21), Sait Çağdavul (19), Muhammed Tahir Yaramış (35 günlük), Cemile Çağırga (10), Osman Çağlı (18), Meryem Süre (53), Özgür Taşkın (20), Seyit Eşref Erdin (60), Zeynep Taşkın (18), Maşallah Edin (35), Sayit Nayici (17), Selman Ağar (10), Bünyamin İrci (15), Mehmet Dikmen (70), Mehmet Erdoğan (75) and Mehmet Emin Açık (70). During the second curfew more than 300 people, including Cizre People's Assembly Co-chairs Mehmet Tunç and Asya Yüksel, were killed by the state forces. A picture reflected on September 8, 2015 when the first curfew was declared in Cizre, revealed the state's proper to the Kurds.

 

A silent house

 

After the first curfew declared in Cizre, 10-year-old Cemile Çağırca was killed outside of her home on September 7. Mainstream media wrote the killing of Cemile as “A terrorist was killed” but the headline reading, “Her dead body was kept in the refrigerator for three days” separates this massacre from others. Cemile’s family wasn’t allowed to bury their daughter due to the ongoing curfew and they kept her dead body in a refrigerator for three days. Cemile was buried along with 16 people killed during the curfew on September 13, 2015. Even though two years has passed, the home of Cemile is still silent like the first day. Her mother Emine Çağırga is sitting in the garden of house.

 

Emine has remembered her daughter’s memories to survive for two years, “Cemile wasn’t the first and she won’t be the last,” said Emine and she began to tell of what had happened from the first day; “It was summer. The people said a curfew had been declared but I didn’t believe. Cemile went to school and then returned to home. She returned to home because her teachers told them, “Curfew has been declared, go your home”. Then clashes took place for two days. We always heard the gunshots. The other day, we were sitting in the garden of our home. Cemile was standing next to me. Then we heard gunshots. Everyone jumped to the floor and then I stood up and cried “Cemile Cemile”. I saw my daughter on the ground. I called her four times and then she said, “Ah mother” and then she died in my arms.”

 

“Then we took her to home. My daughter was with me for three days. They said they would take her to the hospital but I didn’t allow them, I couldn’t give my daughter to the state. Also we didn’t have chance to take her to the hospital. We washed her. My daughter liked henna very much so we applied henna to her hair and hands. We enshrouded her but we weren’t allowed to take her body out. We kept her in the refrigerator for three days to protect her body. My daughter’s body remained there for three days. Three days are short for you but I froze in the refrigerator for three days.”

 

‘Cemile wasn’t the first and she won’t be the last’

 

Stating that Cemile wasn’t the first killed child and she won’t be the last, Emine recalled the killed children in the streets of Kurdistan while playing games. Emine also recalled the words of the AKP Leader Tayyip Erdoğan saying, “The terrorists were neutralized” and she said, “He said Cemile was a terrorist. The piece of the gun hit her head was with us. All people saw this. They didn’t give us ambulance for days. My daughter was kept in the refrigerator.”