Murder case of Kurdish intellectual to be expired after 30 years

The murder case of a popular Kurdish intellectual who was killed 30 years ago was destined to join a number of case files in Turkey that were closed unresolved, after a court on Wednesday scheduled the next hearing of the case after the expiry date. 

Kurdish journalist and writer Musa Anter, also known as “Ape Musa” (Uncle Musa in Kurdish) was assassinated in Turkey’s southeastern city of Diyarbakir on 20 September 1992 by a shady group of people belonging to Turkish counter terrorism organizations.  

Abdulkadir Aygan, a PKK militant-turned-informant, said in 2004 that Anter was killed by a military counter terrorist team that he was part of. Later a ministerial report confirmed this allegation. 

In 2009, prosecutors launched an inquiry into Hamit Yildirim as the hitman, as well as Mahmut Yildirim, a contract killer widely known by his code name “Green” who was never found. 

In 2012, Hamit Yildirim was arrested as the prime suspect, but released after completing five years in prison.

A court in Ankara postponed on Thursday a hearing of the case for 21 September, just a day after the expiry date, which marks 30 years of investigation and prosecution resulting in nullity. 

Anter's family in 2000 complained the lack of progress in the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which sentenced Turkey to pay compensation for the lack of adequate investigation into the murder.

“Musa Anter did not accept injustice, he did not accept racism. He advanced the Kurdish cause. He was idealistic and did not want the Kurds to suffer. The murder of Musa Anter was a state policy,” his son Dicle Anter said in protest of the case.