Turkish minister asked about official silence on massacre

On the 11th anniversary of an aerial bombardment by Turkish war planes that left many villagers dead near the Turkish-Iraqi border, three deputies asked Turkish Justice Minister who gave the orders for the bombardment, and why the perpetrators have not faced justice.

34 villagers from the village of Roboski in Sirnak province, including 19 children, were killed on 28 December 2011 by Turkish airstrikes as they were crossing the border back from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) with goods packed on mules. No Turkish state official has yet faced indictment, let alone trial or punishment, over the massacre.

Sirnak deputies for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Nuran Imir, Hasan Ozgunes and Huseyin Kacmaz, asked minister Bekir Bozdag:

"Who gave the orders for the bombardment? Why haven't these officials faced court? Why are the victims' families and the public left in the dark about the results of the investigation?

"Why haven't due legal processes been followed in the investigation even as the incident has been defined by many as a crime against humanity and as a massacre?

"How many inspections have been carried out over the incident in 11 years, and on how many occasions have you informed the public about the results?

"What is the reason that your ministry have not responded to our parliamentary questions in the last 11 years? Are you planning to make any explanations about it?"