Background
After the military coup of 12 September 1980, tens of thousands of people were detained in Turkey, and allegations of torture and disappearance in custody have recurred for decades. Cemil Kırbayır is remembered as one of those who vanished in custody during this period. From Okçu village in the Göle district of Ardahan, he was a 26-year-old student at the Kars Education Institute.
His mother, Berfo Kırbayır, searched for her son for more than thirty years and became one of the emblematic figures of the Saturday Mothers.
What happened
Kırbayır was detained by security forces at his home in Okçu village on 13 September 1980, the day after the coup. According to the Saturday Mothers, he was first held for about a week at the regimental command in Göle, then taken to Kars police headquarters and from there to the Kars Education Institute, which was being used as a detention site.
When his family went back after 8 October, officials told them their son had escaped and that they should not ask about him again. Nothing has been heard of Kırbayır since.
Investigation and legal process
Years later a parliamentary research commission examined documents and witnesses from the period and produced a report of about 350 pages. According to it, Kırbayır died under torture in custody and his body was disposed of by the public officials responsible for his death. This is a finding of a commission, not of a court.
The judicial process produced no result. At the Justice Ministry's request, the 8th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation issued a 'reversal in the interest of the law' on 25 February 2020 on statute-of-limitations grounds, ending the criminal investigation. Families argue that enforced disappearance is a continuing crime and should not be time-barred.
Where it stands today
Kırbayır's remains have never been found. In September 2026, at their 1,121st weekly gathering, the Saturday Mothers again asked what happened to him, 46 years on. Participants also criticised Turkey's failure to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Dark Location keeps this page to make the demand of relatives for truth and justice visible and to remember Kırbayır.