Illegal groups within the state, extrajudicial killings and political murders have been major topics on Turkey’s agenda during the past 15 years.
The issues date to the 1990s, when, at the height of the Kurdish conflict, rogue groups of soldiers, public servants and “confessors” — former Kurdish militants who became collaborators — embarked on a spree of summary executions of Kurdish civilians, including politicians and businessmen, in the name of “fighting terrorism.” The aim was to control Kurdish cities through bloodshed, coercion and intimidation. Occasionally, some of the perpetrators were caught red-handed and charged, while a few scapegoats were also convicted, with their atrocities played down as isolated incidents.
