Impunity enters third decade as 21st anniversary of journalist Mumcu's murder marked

ANKARA

Umbrellas were hung in front of the memorial to symbolize the snowfall during Uğur Mumcu’s burial. AA photo

A commemoration ceremony was held on Jan. 24 to mark the 21st anniversary of the murder of one of Turkey’s most renowned investigative journalists, Uğur Mumcu, in front of his house in Ankara where he was killed with a car bomb.

The years go on, but the calls for justice remain the same, with frustrated family members and politicians urging once again for the real motives behind the killing be revealed.

The crowd laid carnations and lit candles in front of Mumcu’s memorial in Ankara. Umbrellas were also hung to symbolize the snowfall during Mumcu’s burial. Mumcu’s wife Güldal Mumcu, a deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), his son Özgür Mumcu, and his daughter Özge Mumcu, were all present at the ceremony. It was also attended by current CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and former leader Deniz Baykal.

“Twenty-one years have passed since Uğur Mumcu was killed, but the real perpetrators of the killing have not been found. He was someone who, 21 years ago, could read what could happen today. We will always remember him with respect,” Kılıçdaroğlu told reporters at the ceremony.

A lawyer by training, Mumcu was a prominent figure at daily Cumhuriyet, who mostly investigated issues such as organized crime and corruption. He was killed after a car bomb exploded in front of his home on Jan. 24, 1993. 

An Islamist group with links to Iran was held responsible for the murder, but many still suspect that rogue elements within the state organized the assassination in order to prevent Mumcu from conducting his research into alleged ties between the “deep state” and the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK).