Former PKK terrorist shows support to Kurdish mothers

A former PKK terrorist showed his support for the Kurdish mothers staging a sit-in protest in front of the pro-PKK People’s Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in southeastern Diyarbakır province. The terrorist expressed empathy for what the families have been going through, especially the mothers who demand to be reunited with their children who were forcefully recruited into the ranks of the terrorist group.
“I hope you to come together with your children as soon as possible,” said the former terrorist with the initials A.S.S. via a letter addressed to mothers. The imprisoned former terrorist, who surrendered to security forces, said that he empathizes with the protesting families and fully supports them as someone who has been with the PKK and knows what it is capable of.
“I know the sorrow, concerns that you have been feeling. My parents have felt that feeling for 10 years. I support your longing wait from the bottom of my heart,” said A.S.S.
It has been more than 70 days since Kurdish mothers first started a sit-in protest against the PKK. Initially, a lone mother Hacire Akar started the protest in front of the offices of the HDP provincial organization in Diyarbakır in September. Akar wanted her 21-year-old son Mehmet Akar, who had been missing for three days after he was abducted by the PKK terrorist group, to be returned to her. Following her sit-in, and with the help of security forces in Diyarbakır, Akar was finally reunited with her son.
Encouraging the mothers to not lose hope, the former terrorist ensured that their children will come back eventually.
“My prayers are with you. I hope no other young person suffers the pains and difficulties in life because of a terrorist group. God knows that you are in there [protesting] with the clear intentions of parenthood. You should know that conscientious people support you,” he further said in the letter.
Reading the letter out loud to fellow mothers protesting alongside her, Ayşegül Biçer said that her spirits have been lifted thanks to this letter, which came from a person “who has suffered from the terrorist group.”
A protesting father, Süleyman Aydın, also expressed happiness over receiving such a letter. Underlining that the former terrorist who sent the letter mentions his regret [for participating in the PKK], Aydın called on the abducted children to surrender, “just like him.”
The HDP, long facing public reactions and judicial probes over its ties to the PKK, is under pressure due to this growing civilian protest launched by mothers and local families. Families are accusing the party's leaders of sacrificing regular people's children while providing luxurious lives to their own. Despite all the accusations surrounding the party, the HDP still turns a blind eye to Kurdish families and has gone as far as to threaten them.