Halim Dener

Halim Dener (born December 23, 1977 in the Genç district , Bingöl , Turkey ; † June 29, 1994 in Hanover at the Steintor ) was a refugee and activist of Kurdish origin. He became known through the circumstances of his death.

Life

Halim Dener grew up in the northwestern Kurdish province of Bingöl in eastern Turkey. Because he and his family were of Kurdish descent, they and other Kurdish residents were often visited by the Turkish military. Presumably for this reason, he applied for asylum in Germany at the beginning of May 1994. However, he applied for asylum under the false name Ayhan Eser, in order, as later became plausible, not to endanger his family, who at that time lived in the village of Parcuk, which existed until June 1994 and was pillaged by the Turkish military. Dener is said to have been tortured in a Turkish prison before leaving. At the age of 16 he came to Neustadt am Rübenberge as an unaccompanied minor refugee . There he became politically active and campaigned against the persecution of the Kurds and the 1993 PKK ban.

Circumstances surrounding his death

On the late evening of June 29, 1994, a Wednesday evening, Dener and other Kurds were at Steintorplatz to post posters for the PKK underground organization Eniya Rizgariya Neteweyî ya Kurdistanê ( ERNK ). About 20 minutes before midnight, the night of June 30th, the police became aware of the young men. In the further course there should have been fisticuffs - up to the shooting of Dener by a plainclothes police officer.

Halim Dener's death sparked outcry and rioting. Police stations and vehicles were attacked in July 1994 to demonstrate against the alleged murder. On July 10, a mourning rally took place with 16,000 participants, at which the former mayor Herbert Schmalstieg gave a speech. Chief Public Prosecutor Nikolaus Borchers started investigations into the case and was able to collect 16 statements. However, these statements are said to have been contradicting each other, which made the investigation of the case difficult. On May 8, 1996 the trial against the police officer Klaus T. (* 1965 or 1966) for negligent homicide began before the Higher Regional Court in Celle. Halim Dener's parents wanted to appear as joint plaintiffs, but the Turkish government refused an exit visa without giving any further reasons. On June 27, 1997, Klaus T. was acquitted because there was no evidence of negligence. The shot from the service rifle, a Smith & Wesson caliber 38, is said to have accidentally come off because Klaus T. acted carelessly in the confusion of the mission. In addition, T. was under police protection after that night in June, as Kurds had threatened to kill him.

Demonstrations around Halim Dener

Even more than 20 years after his death, Halim Dener is stylized as a martyr in the Kurdish liberation struggle. On June 21, 2014, a commemorative demonstration on the 20th anniversary of Halim Dener's death took place at the Steintor up to the Klagesmarkt, in which around 550 demonstrators took part. The demonstration was peaceful, but banned PKK flags and symbols were displayed. On June 30, 2016, another demonstration took place, this time on the 22nd anniversary of Halim Dener's death, at which 200 Kurds were present. The demo, which took place again at the Steintor, was peaceful.

Discussion about memorial

For years there have been discussions about whether a memorial should be erected for Halim Dener. So far, this has been rejected out of concerns about possible unrest. In March 2016, at Newroz , the Kurdish New Year celebrations, strangers removed a pavement slab at an intermediate rally and unauthorizedly inserted a plaque on which "Halim Dener, murdered by the police on June 30, 1994" was engraved. The city had the plaque removed only a few days later.

Halim Dener Graffiti (Bielefeld)

In Bielfeld there is graffiti by Halim Dener on the outside wall of the workers' youth center.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Halim Dener. Retrieved March 8, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Police: Packed properly . In: Der Spiegel . tape July 28 , 1994 ( spiegel.de [accessed March 8, 2019]).
3. ↑ The memorial demo ends peacefully. Retrieved March 8, 2019 .