A primary school graduate, 17-year- old Mehmet Şirin Maltu lived in Batman, Kozluk’s small hamlet, Zediya. He did his military service at a very early age (at about 15 years).

He was taken away for detention by soldiers on 31st January 1995 from his grandfather’s house. He was tortured all night in the village square amidst cries and shouts. At about 4 a.m. that morning the soldiers left the village taking Mehmet Şirin Maltu with them.

The soldiers came to the village again at about noon and wanted Mehmet to show them the hideouts of the militants. During this time, Mehmet’s head was covered with a large cotton bag, his hands and feet tied.

His family tried to file a complaint at the Prosecutor’s Office but they could not convince anybody to come forward as witness due to fear.

That was the last time anybody saw or heard from Mehmet Şirin Maltu. His bodily remains have not been found and the family was not able to open a court case concerning his enforced disappearance.