Pro-Government Militias
Anti-Kurd Death Squads (Turkey)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 228 |
| Country: | Turkey |
| Date formed: | Sept. 13, 1980 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | day |
| Details of Formation: | The use of rightist gunmen and criminals to carry out killings on behalf of the Government began after the 1980 military coup. |
| Date dissolved: | Jan. 11, 1999 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | month |
| Details of Termination: | There are no mentions of the group after a big scandal in 1997, which revealed the connections between politicians, police and criminals in targeting Kurd ‘enemies’. A wave of indictments of politicians and security officials whose connections were known followed. The change in government in 1999 is used to code the termination of the group. |
| Termination Type(s): | change in government |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no information |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no information |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no information | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | |
| Training and Equipment: | unclear |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | unclear |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; drugs; crime |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | criminals |
| Primary Membership: | political |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | primarily Kurd areas |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 120] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | intimidation of ethnic/religious groups; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | Kurds (Turkey) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | given |
Other Information
| Other Information: | This PGM accounts for the network of death squads. Groups separately coded, but probably also belonging to some extent to this network are the Hezbullah, Village Guards, JiTEM and Grey Wolves |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group’s main purpose was to kill Kurdish separatists and groups that opposed the government. Leading state officials profited from the group because they could use it to direct killings against personal enemies and business rivals. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | deniability of violence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group was regularly killing civilians, mainly Kurdish people and government critics, but also businessmen. These killings were mainly ordered by leading government officials. The gunmen themselves used their connections to the officials to cover up further killings of their business rivals. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members profited from their official connections to cover up drug smuggling, money laundering, extortion and other lucrative crimes. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | A news source estimates in 1996 that the group consisted of up to 120 people. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group had guns. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The group had connections to leading officials, including senior policemen, security service members, and two parliamentarians who assigned the gunmen to the specific killings. The National Security Council, consisting of top military and civilian leaders had previously approved the use of extra-legal measures. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.