It has been 31 years since the murder of Adnan Işık, distributor of Özgür Gündem Newspaper and Özgür Halk Magazine. Işık, who decided to work for the newspaper after the murder of Özgür Gündem Newspaper employee Orhan Karaağar on 19 January 1993, was killed in an armed attack on 27 November 1993 on his way home.

 

Although 31 years have passed since the murder, Işık's perpetrators have not been found.

 

HE STARTED AFTER ORHAN

 

Işık moved to the city centre with his family from Tûm village in Serav/Mehmudî (Saray) district of Wan in the last months of 1991 and worked as a construction worker in different cities. After getting married, he started working as a waiter at the Architect and Engineer's Club in Wan. When Orhan Karaağar, a distributor of Özgür Gündem Newspaper, was murdered on 19 January 1993, Işık decided to work as a distributor. Işık went to the Wan office of Özgür Gündem Newspaper and conveyed his request to the newspaper authorities and after his request was accepted, he started distributing newspapers on the streets of the city. Işık was threatened many times not to distribute the newspaper. Işık, who continued to distribute against threats, was detained, interrogated and tortured many times by the police.

 

MURDERER ESCAPED IN A WHITE TOROS

 

After a while, Işık recorded the licence plates of the white Toros car that was constantly following him and shared them with his friends at the newspaper office. The office staff gave these licence plates to Mahmut Yılbaş, the governor of Van at the time, who was known for many dark incidents, and explained the situation. Although Yılbaş said "I will take care of it", no action was taken. On 26 November 1993, at a time when the threats were at their peak, Işık left the newspaper office and took a municipal bus to go home. Işık got off the bus at the square in the Erek neighbourhood where his house was located and was attacked with a gun. The person who attacked Işık got into a Toros car 50 metres away and fled the scene.

 

PERPETRATORS NOT FOUND

 

Işık was taken to Van State Hospital, but due to the hospital's lack of facilities, he was asked to be transferred to a hospital in Ankara. However, Işık could not be taken to Ankara due to "bad weather" and died on 27 November 1993 at around 11.00 pm. Although Işık's family made several attempts to find the perpetrators, the perpetrators were never found and the file was closed. 

 

'DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO STRUGGLE'

 

 

Adnan Işık's cousin Ömer Işık said: "Adnan's family settled in Wan in 1955. Adnan was born in Wan, he was the only son of the family. They had a café in Beşyol square. He used to run it. He was a young man and father of 3 children. On 19 January, after murder of Orhan Karaağar, Adnan started doing this work on a voluntary basis. He was very saddened by his friend's death and it was difficult for him. Before he started work, he came to me and told me that from now on he would do the newspaper distribution himself. On 26 November around 19.00 p.m., as he was leaving the office and getting off the bus at the square in the Erek neighbourhood where he lived, he was attacked with a gun. He was wounded, we took him to hospital and he died at 11.00 on the morning of 27 November. Adnan was someone who devoted his life to struggle."

 

'HE WAS ALWAYS STRUGGLING'

 

 

His friend Abdulhekim Maskan said: "I met Adnan in 1978. We ran a business together. We worked together in Wan for nearly two years. After the 1980 coup, we decided to go to Istanbul together. We worked together there for a while. Our friendship was very good. He was a very knowledgeable person. He was always struggling and a good person. After a while, he came to Wan upon his mother's request, as he was the only son in the house. Then I learnt that he was working at the newspaper. Shortly after, we received the news of his death. Adnan's murder has left us all deeply saddened."