Tahir Elçi was born in Cizre District of Şırnak in 1966. He finished primary, middle and high schools in Cizre. He got his degree in Dicle University, the Faculty of Law in 1991. He worked as a lawyer and focused on penal law and human rights since 1992. He represented the victims of the cases known to the public both in Turkey and before the ECHR. A member of Human Rights Association (İHD) and co-founder of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), he worked as the attorneys of the victims subjected to extra-judicial executions, unidentified murders, and burning down of villages of 1990s. He conducted numerous studies concerning human rights violations in Diyarbakır and within the South-eastern and Eastern Anatolia.

Tahir Elçi, took many well-known cases such as Bombing of Kuşkonar and Kocağılı Villages where 26 people were killed in 1994, Lice Case, Temizöz Case, Roboski Massacre. As an effective lawyer on Penal Code and Human Rights, Elçi was a member of the Union of Turkish Bar Association’s Science and Advisory Board of Human Rights Centre, a member of Founders’ Committee of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. Working in cooperation with many NGOs, Tahir Elçi was the chairperson of Diyarbakır Bar Association for the last 2 terms. Tahir Elçi, was detained over “terrorist propaganda” and then released with judiciary control upon saying “PKK is not a terrorist organisation” during a live TV debate on CNN Turk.

Prior to being murdered on 28 November 2015 right beside the Four-Legged Minaret in Sur District of Diyarbakır, he had been attending a press release organised by Diyarbakır Bar Association related to the protection of cultural property and historical monuments which were damaged by armed conflict. Right after the statement was released, a gunfight broke out at the same place, which left him murdered violently. He had stated in his speech on 28 November 2015: 

We, the people of Diyarbakır and the bar association of Diyarbakır, should look after our historical values and works of art, our ancient city, and thousand-year-old cultural background and labour. We would like to call on. We do not want guns, clashes and operations in this area which has been a cradle to many civilisations. We demand that wars, clashes, weapons, and operations be away from this setting.

Despite the two years since his murder, the perpetrators have not been found. We see that there is no progress in the investigation, which means the incident is planned to be turned into an unsolved murder case. 
As human rights defenders and Tahir Elçi’s friends, we would like to point out that whatever it may cost, we will take any action necessary for finding the perpetrators. We want justice because human rights and freedoms are irrevocable in every setting of the country and the society. The most important thing that will bring us closer to a democratic life, human rights, and freedoms is to enable the country to face its past, to reveal the truth, and to secure the justice.

HUMAN RIGHT ASSOCIATION DIYARBAKIR BRANCH