Guerrilla Ayşe Bayram’s body has not been returned to her family for six years. State officials told the family: “She is alive in our records, bring a death report.”
In September 2019, YJA Star guerrilla Ayşe Bayram (Evrim Amed) was killed along with six of her comrades in a Turkish military airstrike in the district of Uludere (Qileban), in Şırnak (Şirnex), North Kurdistan (Bakur). For the past six years, her body has not been returned to her family. After learning of her death days later through a television broadcast, her family first went to Şırnak and later to Beytüşşebap (Elkê), where they were met with insults and threats. Just moments after being told, “Ayşe Bayram is among the fallen,” family members were escorted out of the courthouse at gunpoint.

Since then, they have submitted numerous applications to recover Ayşe Bayram’s body, but without success. Most recently, during a visit to Şırnak last week, state officials told the family: “We need a death certificate. According to our records, she is still alive. Let her assign power of attorney to a lawyer.” Miyaser Bayram, Ayşe Bayram’s sister, reacted to this and asked: “If my sister is alive, then where is she?”


All applications have gone unanswered

Ayşe Bayram joined the guerrilla ranks in 2015 while she was a university student. She lost her life on 23 September 2019. The incident was covered not only by mainstream Turkish media but also by several international and European news outlets. Many newspapers reported that Ayşe Bayram had died. Her sister, Miyaser Bayram, explained that since their parents had already passed away, they could not provide DNA samples, making it impossible to retrieve the body. Their request to exhume their parents’ graves for DNA testing was also denied. Despite media reports and televised coverage confirming her death, officials continue to insist that Ayşe Bayram is “alive,” said her sister. Miyaser Bayram called these claims both legally and morally unacceptable. She added, “We have been struggling in the courts ever since. If they are going to speak of peace, then let them start by returning our sister’s body.”

They said ‘the body is here,’ then threw us out

Miyaser Bayram recounted the ordeal they experienced with the following words: “My sister was martyred six years ago. After receiving the news, our family went to Şırnak. When we arrived in Beytüşşebap, we told the prosecutor we had come to retrieve her body. They responded, ‘Yes, Ayşe Bayram’s body is here.’ But then the police asked where we were from. When we said Pasur (Kulp), they went inside to consult with the prosecutor. They told us they would show us the body, but after speaking with the prosecutor, their entire attitude changed.”

Miyaser Bayram stated that the prosecutor turned them away with harsh insults: “The prosecutor came out with armed guards and shouted, ‘Get out of here! There is no body here.’ When my sister stood up to him, they pointed their guns at her and told us to leave. Their fingers never left the triggers. It was an utterly immoral and degrading experience.”

They will not return her body because there is no DNA

Miyaser Bayram stated that they have repeatedly taken legal steps to retrieve Ayşe Bayram’s body: “We cannot provide a DNA sample because our mother and father have passed away. We even requested that their graves be opened, so blood could be taken, but that too was rejected. That is why we have been unable to recover my sister’s body for six years.”

First they said she was dead. Now they say she is alive

Miyaser Bayram explained that they recently returned to Şırnak to submit another formal request, only to receive a completely different response from the authorities: “This time, the prosecutor’s office told us: ‘Ayşe is alive, she does not appear as deceased in the system. Bring a power of attorney or a death certificate.’ Then what is this contradiction? The same people who once said, ‘the body is here’ are now saying ‘your sister is alive.’ Maybe they truly do not know what they did, or where they buried her body. If they are going to talk about peace, they should start by returning our sister’s body. All we want is for her to have a grave. As long as I live, I will not stop pursuing this. Even if it is just a bone, a finger, we want to receive what remains of her.

Miyaser Bayram called on members of parliament and human rights defenders to support their cause. She concluded: “The state should stop trying to intimidate us with situations like this. We are not afraid. Let them give us the body they claim they have.”[1]