Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul MP Çetin Soysal applied to the Head of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission to clarify the death of 14-year-old Ceylan Önkol.

Önkol died under controversial circumstances on 28 September on a field close to her home. Soysal argues in his application, "There have been different announcements regarding the death of Önkol, who lost her life in an explosion in the Diyarbakır district of Lice. However, the reasons for the death of the 14-year-old girl have not yet been revealed in those declarations".

Soysal demands to disclose every detail related to the incident since there still are several question marks regarding the circumstances of her death in order to ease the public conscience and to achieve justice.

Soysal indicated, "It is the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission's obligation to investigate the incident because the right to life is the most basic human right".

More than 1000 signatures

At the same time, more than 1,000 people participated in a signature campaign demanding action. Over 40 NGOs and associations ask for a clarification of the reasons for Önkol's death and for referring legal procedures. They are handing their petition to the Ministry of Justice, the Prime Ministry, the Head of General Staff, the Minister of the Interior, other ministers and political parties.

The launched signature campaign urges the authorities to provide answers to the following questions:

"Who threw the mortar shell or whatever it was? How did Ceylan die? What is the reason for Ceylan's death? What is military ammunition doing on a public field? Why have no precautions been taken?"

The people participating in the signature campaign criticize "unlawfulness and discrimination" because neither the prosecutor on duty nor the police authorities went to the scene of the incident on time for an appropriate investigation. They demand to start immediate legal procedures against the authorities and to inform the public as soon as possible.

Members of the campaign aim to raise public awareness in the course of Ceylan's death and ask the state to "guarantee the right to life according to article 2, 5 and 17 of the Constitution without having to fear mines or being killed by a mortar shell". (EZÖ/VK)