Nine years has passed since the Roboski (Uludere) massacre. 34 people, including 19 children, were murdered by the Turkish state’s fighter jets. The ones who witnessed the incident have had their lives shaped with sorrow as a result of that incident.

When the Roboski massacre took place, there was a national mourning declared across all four parts of Kurdistan. A flood of anger occurred against the massacre after the incident. Arrests took place when people were protesting against the murder of 34 civilians. Because the incident was not acceptable for Kurds.

The lives of people who witnessed the massacre were defined by that event, life before the massacre and life after the massacre.

Two of those people are Cansel and Muammer Encü. Cansel was 10 and Muammer was 12 years old when they lost their brother Muhammed. They still carry the psychological wounds and painful memories from the day of the massacre.

Cansel recalled, “I began to hate school, I couldn’t go. I could not join in with my friends, I could not play games. I was sitting quietly when my friends were playing games.” Cansel said that her only demand was justice.

Muammer Encu also talked about his life after the incident, “We loved each other so much. We were very close to each other. I was totally depressed. I can never forget my brother. When I look people around me everyone has brothers and their brothers, they marry. I mean, they have many dreams. Me too, I have dreams as well. However, my brother could not achieve his dreams, they did not allow.”

Muammer Encu also criticised a ruling of European Court of Human Rights and said that the families of those who died regretted their decision and said that they would keep struggling for justice.