However, officials deny that there have been delays in the return of the militants’ remains, saying they return bodies as soon as families claim them. Ten of the 12 PKK militants killed in the past few weeks have already been returned to their families, officials said. Two bodies are being kept in the hospital morgue because nobody has claimed them. The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has demanded that these two bodies be returned to them, but officials have refused such a move as it would be in violation of the law.
Kurdish Revolutionary Democrats Movement (KDDH) Secretary-General Halim İpek has warned that the BDP has been exploiting the controversy surrounding the bodies in its campaign against the government’s reform package, which will be voted on in a referendum on Sept. 12. İpek noted that demonstrations and incidents in the region have increased since the official referendum date was announced. İpek called on the BDP to reconsider its campaign, saying, “This vote is the last chance for all of us, Turkish or Kurdish.”
