them in this state. However, it has been said that this feud was settled around twenty years previously. The marriage is thought to have reopened the feud amongst factions which "strongly disagreed" with its occurrence. It has been described as "a combination of tribalism, love for guns, and tradition gone awfully wrong". It is unclear if the bride and groom had completed the required steps to become legally married. While some reports refer to them in unmarried terms, others refer to them in married terms. Perpetrators Speculation as to the cause and identity of the perpetrators circulated via the local media after the incident. One suggestion had a long-term village family feud. Another suggestion blamed the Village Guards, a shadowy militia force established in 1984 to assist government troops in battles against the PKK. Those who carried out the attack were disguised in masks. The perpetrators fled after the attack to the nearby Syrian border as a sandstorm in the area intensified. Initial assessments rule out the PKK, according to Atalay. As of May 5, there were eight suspects in custody that had been arrested with weapons and they remain anonymous. Soldiers blockaded roads leading into the village after the incident and journalists were forbidden to enter. Electricity supplies and telephone access were also cut off. Later, a village guard, Mehmet Çelebi admitted the massacre. Legal prosecution A ruling ratifying the sentencing of Mehmet Çelebi and 3 other defendants to 44 times life imprisonment was issued in February 2012. Rehabilitation of orphaned children The government and civic organizations set up a rehabilitation program in June 2009 in the form of occupational therapy for the children orphaned with the aim to lessen their pain and make them forget the memories of the massacre. A sports center was established in the village by the national gymnast Nuri Batır to provide lessons in gymnastics, athletics and swimming. Major sponsors of the project were the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Middle East College in Diyarbakır. 35 of the 62 orphans took part at the sports lessons. After only one week of training, the children attended a sports contest in Batman and achieved seventh place among 15 teams. Twenty-one children were prepared for performing a show on the national and international stage. They showed their abilities first during the Victory Day celebrations on August 30 in Mardin. Their show called "Bilge Village Peace Flowers"