Kuddusi Adıgüzel
person- Image
- Sex
- Male
- Civil status
- Married
- Occupation
- Peasant
- Dependants
- 6
- Event description
Per court documents; 42-year-old Kuddusi Adıgüzel, born in Kanıkaya (İnkaya) village of Diyarbakır’s Kulp county, had to move out of the village due to constant raiding by the Turkish military. 15th March 1994, soldiers raided the home of Kuddusi Adıgüzel in Dûderya. The soldiers had, earlier that evening, taken Mirze Ateş along with his wife and children under custody as well. The soldiers, came to Kuddusi’s house together with Mirze Ateş. After searching the house, the soldiers forced Kuddusi to lay down and tortured him. Later the soldiers took Kuddusi and Mirze under custody and went away with the two men to the Gendarmerie Command.
In June 1994, eight badly burnt bodies were discovered in the wilderness. A witness, who later testified in court, observed that the bodies of Kuddusi Adıgüzel and Mirze Ateş were among the dead.
- Geolocation
Latitude: 38.5258521
Longitude: 41.1422334
- Geolocation
- City
- Diyarbakır
- District
- Kulp
- Date of disappearance
- Mar 15, 1994
- Year of disappearance
- 1994
- Age at the time of disappearance
- Yaş:41Ay:9Gün:13
- Status of the victim
- Still missing
- Type of source material
- ECHR decision
- Interview with family member (audiotape)
- Press release or report of human rights organisations
- Printed or online news
- Decision by the prosecution office
- Decision of non-prosecution due to statute of limitations
- Verdict of ECHR
- Non-compliance with the six-month time limit
- Summary of the legal proceedings
Per court documents; Adıgüzel’s brother attempted to no avail to file a complaint with the authorities, until he applied to the UN Working group on involuntary and enforced disappearances, resulting in the launch of an investigation by the Kulp Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which would be impeded by authorities’ inaction or noncooperation. His wife applied to the European Human Rights Court; however, the case was determined to be inadmissible on account of article 35 of the Convention, requiring a 6-month-time limit for applications to be valid. In 2003, when the family managed to have the remains of burnt bodies tested for DNA, there was no positive match for Kuddusi Adıgüzel. In 2005, the Diyarbakır Governorship granted the family reparations based on law 5233. In 2006, upon family’ application, the 3rd Civil Court of Diyarbakır decalared Kuddusi Adıgüzel legally dead. As of 2014, the investigation into Kuddusi Adıgüzel’s disappearance remains open.