Apro Diril has been detained in connection with the case file regarding Hurmuz's disappearance, which has remained unsolved since his wife, Smuni Diril, was murdered under unexplained circumstances in Sirnak.
The decision marks a significant step in a case that has long troubled the Assyrian people and human rights advocates, who have repeatedly voiced concerns that previous investigations have failed to uncover the full truth behind the tragic events.
Abandoned village return marks start of tragic events
The Chaldean couple, Hurmuz Diril (71 years old at the time of his disappearance) and Smuni Diril (65 years old), lived in Mehri village, located in the Beytüssebap district of Sirnak.
In 1989, the villagers, including the Diril family, were displaced from their homes during the years of conflict in southeastern Turkey, a period during which many members of the Assyrian people were displaced from their villages.
After years of moving within Turkey, the family settled for a time in Istanbul, living in a Chaldean church. With the beginning of the new millennium, the couple decided to return to their original village, a rare step among the Assyrian people, most of whom had emigrated from the region. There, they attempted to rebuild their lives among the ruins of the village they had left decades earlier.
However, on 11 January 2020, the couple suddenly disappeared from their home in the village. Their son, Father Ramzi Diril, discovered their disappearance when he arrived from Istanbul to visit them.
After approximately 70 days of search efforts, Smuni Diril's body was found near the banks of the Hezil River, several kilometers from the home. The body was severely decomposed and missing some parts. No trace of Hurmuz Diril was found except his jacket and shoes; his fate remains unknown to this day.
Main suspect before the court after years
Apro Diril, a relative of the family and a resident of the village, emerged as the main suspect from the beginning of the investigation. Suspicion fell on him due to his failure to report the couple's disappearance despite knowing about the incident, in addition to previous disputes with the family that included firing shots at their home, according to what was stated in the investigation file.
He was detained several times over the past years before being released, but was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Smuni Diril.
In a new development, Apro Diril appeared this week before the First Heavy Penal Court in Sirnak for the first time in the case related to Hurmuz Diril's disappearance. During the hearing, the defendant denied all charges against him. However, the court decided to also detain him in this case file based on the prosecution's request, adjourning the trial until 12 May.
Suspicions about existence of other perpetrators
In the same session, another defendant in the case, Behçet Öztunç, claimed he had been in contact with Apro Diril for "gathering intelligence information about the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK)," asserting this was done with the knowledge of local military commanders and Village Guard members. However, the defense team for the Diril family believes the case is broader than a single defendant.
Lawyer Rojhat Dilsiz, one of the family's attorneys, stated they are almost certain that Apro Diril did not commit the crime alone, pointing out that the defendant provided 5 or 6 contradictory statements during the investigations, including the claim that the couple was abducted by PKK militants. He added that the defendant's age, nearing 70, makes it difficult to believe he carried out the crime alone, affirming that there are "other connections" that have not been adequately investigated.
Criticism of judicial investigation
Since the beginning of the case, the investigation process has faced criticism from the family's lawyers and human rights organizations. In 2022, a court in Sirnak rejected an initial indictment presented by the prosecution, considering it incomplete and failing to clearly define the crime, a step that sparked widespread legal debate.
Lawyer and human rights activist Orhan Kemal Cengiz stated at the time that the case represented a "major legal scandal," suggesting that the slowness and excessive secrecy of the investigations indicated a possible protection of the perpetrators. The family's lawyers also complained about the court's rejection of several requests they deemed necessary to uncover the truth, such as analyzing telephone communication data and determining the locations of suspects' mobile phones at the time of the crime.
A case that transcends an individual crime
Observers believe that the Diril case carries a broader dimension, since it is linked to the long history of displacement of Assyrian people from their villages in southeastern Turkey during the 1990s.
The family's lawyers stated that dozens of villages once inhabited by this people in the region are now nearly empty, with only a few residents remaining.
According to the family's lawyer, the Diril couple returned to their village out of a desire to hold onto their ancestral land, but paid a heavy price for it.
Justice left unfinished
More than 6 years after Hurmuz Diril's disappearance, his family still does not know his fate. In February 2025, a memorial mass was held at the Church of Mor Tuma (Saint Thomas) the Apostle in Sarcelles, France, commemorating the couple, where members of Assyrian diaspora renewed their demands for uncovering the truth and achieving justice.
Their son, Father Ramzi Diril, stated during the occasion that the mystery surrounding his father's fate remains an "unbearable burden" on the family.
As the court prepares for a new session in May, the family members and their supporters hope that these developments will be a step towards revealing the circumstances of one of the most mysterious cases the region has witnessed in recent years.
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