Gendarmes in southeastern Turkey have detained three school principals over their WhatsApp stories commemorating the victims of the 2011 Roboski massacre, the Artı Gerçek news website reported on Wednesday.
The Şanlıurfa provincial branch of Eğitim Sen, a labor union for education sector employees, announced that the principals were detained the same day they posted the stories and that they are now faced with both criminal and administrative investigations.
They may be demoted, reappointed to a remote location and subjected to further disciplinary sanctions such as salary cuts, the union said.
“Two of the principals just shared photos of the funerals organized for the dead, while one added a simple comment about the massacre,” said Murat Oruç, a co-chair for the Eğitim Sen Şanlıurfa branch.
The incident commonly known as the Roboski massacre refers to the killing of 34 male Kurdish civilians, most of them teenagers, on December 28, 2011, when military jets bombed them after receiving intelligence on terrorists from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Uludere district of Şırnak province near the Turkish-Iraqi border.
Human rights activists often highlight the massacre on its anniversary, criticizing the climate of impunity surrounding the incident for which no one has thus far been held accountable.
It is common for Turkish authorities to prosecute people on account of their social media commentary, typically on accusations of disseminating terrorist propaganda, inciting hatred, spreading misinformation, insulting officials or denigrating the state.
