ŞIRNAK- One of the witnesses of the period, who lost his relatives during the 1992 Newroz in Cizîr, where the Newroz fire did not go out despite the massacre, Hasan Altan stated that they took to the streets to show the existence of the Kurds that day and said: "We instilled courage at that time."

 

Şırnak and Cizîr (Cizre) are among the places where the Newroz fire will be the most intense, which will be lit this year in memory of those who lost their lives in the Maraş-centered earthquakes in 43 centers with the slogan "Everywhere is Newroz, Everytime is Freedom". The 1992 Newroz, which went down in history as the "Bloody Newroz" in Şirnex(Şırnak) and Cizîr, where the Newroz fire was lit at all costs, preserves its place in our memories. In Cizîr and Şirnex, on March 21, 1992, the celebrations became bloody when thousands of people who went out to celebrate on the streets were randomly shot by panzers and special operations police stationed in various places. According to official sources, 57 people were killed in Cizîr, nearly 100 people according to witnesses, and 47 people in Şirnex. Journalist İzzet Kezer was among those killed; however, despite the massacres, the Newroz fire in Botan did not go out, it got stronger day by day.

 

Hasan Altan (49), who attended the 1992 Cizîr Newroz from Ernabat village, his brother Hüseyin Altan (17), uncle Hacı Erten (24) and his uncle's son Ali Bozkurt were killed in the attack. Hasan Altan and Mehmet Emin Kasırğa (57), witnesses of the '92 Newroz, spoke to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA).

 

'WE WANTED TO SHOW OUR EXISTENCE'

 

Stating that Newroz celebrations were celebrated with ease today as a result of the struggle in the 1990s, Altan said: "We marched to Cizîr together with the surrounding villages. When we arrived at the entrance of Cizîr, the soldiers said to us, 'Do not come, if you come, there is an order to shoot, we will kill you'. There were helicopters overhead, armored vehicles ahead of us. We didn't follow what they said afterwards and continued our walk. Thousands of people joined hands and started walking. We walked hand in hand to the soldiers. Those armored vehicles were just right in the middle of us. After that, we were fired randomly from these armored vehicles. At the point where I was alone, 20 people collapsed to the ground. 20 people were killed by gunfire. If they had not attacked, we would have celebrated Newroz and returned home. Our aim was only to celebrate Newroz, they did not allow it. Our aim was to make the whole world see us. We are Kurds and we wanted them to know that we exist. If we hadn't fought for Newroz in the 90s, we wouldn't even be able to remember Newroz today, maybe we wouldn't even be able to celebrate it."

 

 

'WE INSTILLED THE COURAGE'

 

Noting that he attended every Newroz 92 for the memory of the 92 Newroz and to commemorate those who  massacred, Altan said: “Sometimes, I think, 'I wonder if they will attack again like then?'. We then instilled courage and are not afraid. I wish that this year's Newroz will be instrumental in the unity and solidarity of the Kurdish, Turkish, Arab, Circassian, Laz and all peoples of the world. Let's all welcome and celebrate Newroz together. Newroz is a holiday not only for Kurds, but for all peoples. As long as I live, I will never forget Newroz in 1992. We were treated very unfairly that day. I go to every Newroz for the memory of my brother and all the souls who lost their lives there that day."

'NO ONE STEPPED BACK'

 

Mehmet Emin Kasırga, one of the witnesses of the 92 Cizîr Newroz, also stated that they lit the Newroz fire despite all the attacks, and said: "Thousands of people insisted on walking. No one took a step back. But they wanted to stop the crowd by shooting and hundreds of people were injured. They opened fire in the air, but we walked in spite of them. Everyone ran to one side. There were bodies on the ground. They intervened so hard that the internal organs of the killed people came out and people were running and running in that chaos. It was brutal. No matter what I did, those days "I can't forget. Soldiers also came and looked at the bodies and left. Our aim was to light the Newroz fire. At that time, Newroz celebrations were not allowed, but we still celebrated it. We used to burn tires at that time. At that time, we would go despite all the obstacles. I hope this Newroz will lead to the freedom of all political prisoners."

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut