MLSA - It has been 32 years since the murder of İzzet Kezer, a photojournalist for Sabah Newspaper, and the case remains unsolved. Kezer was killed in 1992 in Cizre, a district in the Şırnak Province of southeastern Turkey, while covering the Newroz (Kurdish New Year) celebrations. He was shot in the head while holding a white flag, a symbol of peace. The investigation into his death stalled due to the lack of a recovered bullet, and the current status of the case is unknown. Eyewitnesses claimed that Kezer was killed by gunfire from a police armored vehicle.
On March 23, Kezer was part of a group of 10 journalists in Cizre to cover the Newroz celebrations. The journalists ventured outside their hotel after hearing noises, only to find themselves amidst an abrupt armed conflict. They took refuge in a nearby house and later attempted to return to their hotel, waving white flags as a sign of neutrality. During this, Kezer was fatally shot in the head. He was only 38 years old at the time of his death.
The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) recorded Kezer's death in its 1992 Annual Human Rights Report, noting that he was "killed by a shot to the head from a police armored vehicle."
Following Kezer's death, then-Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel initially promised an investigation, stating on March 28, 1992, that the incident would be thoroughly investigated. However, by August 15, 1992, Demirel's stance seemed to have changed, as he was quoted in Milliyet Newspaper saying, "Some of the killed journalists are not really journalists. They are militants. They are killing each other. This is the information I have from official state sources."
1992: The darkest year for journalists in Turkey
The year 1992 was the darkest for the press in Turkey. Of the 67 journalists killed in Turkey since 1909, 14 were murdered in 1992 alone, almost all of whom were working in the Southeast. The Newroz celebrations in Cizre that year went down in history as 'Bloody Newroz.' Despite assurances from Prime Minister Demirel that people wishing to gather for Newroz would be allowed and facilitated, the Cizre celebrations resulted in the death of 94 people.
