Duvar.english
3 Feb 2025
Outrage in Erzincan: Stray Dogs Allegedly Buried Alive by Municipality
Erzincan, Turkey – April 2025
Allegations of a horrific act of animal cruelty have sparked nationwide outrage following the emergence of a video that reportedly shows stray dogs being sedated and buried alive by Erzincan Municipality workers.
The Law for Life Initiative, an animal rights advocacy group, held a public protest and issued a strongly worded statement condemning the incident, which they claim is part of a broader, systematic campaign of violence against street animals in Turkey.
A Shocking Discovery
The video, filmed at a waste treatment facility in Erzincan, appears to show dogs being tranquilized and thrown into mass graves. One of the most haunting moments depicts a white dog escaping the pit, a scene that has since been widely shared across social media platforms.
Activists are demanding the immediate dismissal and legal prosecution of all those involved, including Mayor Bekir Aksun, a member of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
“This is not an isolated event. It is clear that a systematic extermination of stray animals is taking place across the country,” the initiative stated. “Everyone responsible, including Mayor Aksun, must be removed from office and held accountable.”
“Shelters Have Become Death Camps”
The protestors condemned what they described as the growing trend of municipalities disguising mass killings as animal control measures.
“Collecting animals off the streets has come to mean executing them. Shelters have turned into death camps,” the statement continued. “When they threw these animals into a pit like garbage, humanity died. Law died. Justice died.”
Activists also pointed to similar incidents across Turkey, referencing what they call the "Gebze Massacre," where animals were suffocated in garbage bags, as well as the deaths of animals in shelters in Ümraniye, Niğde, Altındağ, Urfa, and Mamak.
“We have not forgotten. We will not forget the eyes of the dog killed with an overdose in Mamak on January 30,” the group said.
Whistleblower Speaks Out
Erdal Gezeroğlu, the individual who filmed the disturbing footage, claimed he was terminated from his position after refusing to delete the evidence.
“We were forced to delete images showing dogs being tortured. I was dismissed under pressure after speaking up,” Gezeroğlu said.
His account has further fueled public anger and demands for transparency in municipal animal welfare practices.
Municipality Denies Responsibility
In response to the backlash, Erzincan Municipality released a written statement denying the allegations:
“We categorically reject the false claims and visuals that suggest stray animals were brutally slaughtered or buried alive by our teams. These images do not belong to Erzincan.”
The denial has done little to ease tensions, with activists insisting that the footage speaks for itself.
Calls to Repeal the “Massacre Law”
The Law for Life Initiative also renewed calls for the repeal of what they refer to as the "massacre law"—recent legislation which, according to critics, allows municipalities to remove and kill street animals under the guise of population control.
“This is not a law for protection—it is a law for killing. Animals are not being cared for or rehabilitated; they are being exterminated. Unless this law is repealed, we will continue to witness unspeakable cruelty.”
“We will not be silent. We will not be afraid. We will not abandon our animal companions,” the initiative concluded.