Per press statement released by Cumartesi İnsanları on 20th June 2015 and the human rights report prepared by the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey for year 1994, Bedel Özkan was 40 years old and married with 8 children. He was the mukhtar of the Kurudere village in Hakkari’s Çukurca district. On 8th May 1994, the military raided Kurudere. As they were leaving the village, soldiers took Hasan Ateş, Bedel Özkan and his brother and with them. Shortly later, Bedel Özkan’s brother was released.

The villagers asked the military officers about Bedel and Hasan when they came back the following day to search the village. Although Bedel and Hasan were taken in front of the eyes of the whole village, the military officers told them that they knew nothing about these two men. The family applied to the Office of the Çukurca Public Prosecutor to get information.

After a few days, a shepherd from another village found two tortured bodies near the Hakantepe Military Battalion. The families confirmed that the bodies belonged to Bedel Özkan and Hasan Ateş.