The 18th reunion of a Diyarbakır family with their child who was abducted by the PKK terrorist group will take place on Tuesday, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said Monday.
The interior minister gave the good news on Twitter.
Nearly 150 families have been staging a sit-in protest in front of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Diyarbakır province demanding the return of their sons and daughters, who were recruited to fight for the terrorists.
The HDP is accused by the government of having links to the PKK. The protesting mothers claim the party is responsible for kidnapping or tricking their children into joining the terrorist group.
The HDP, long facing public reaction and judicial probes over its ties to the PKK, is under pressure from this growing civilian protest movement. Various groups from around Turkey have supported the Kurdish mothers in their cause, with many paying visits to show their support.
The protest started when Hacire Akar turned up at the doorstep of the HDP’s Diyarbakır office one night after her son was abducted by the PKK. Akar’s son Mehmet returned home on Aug. 24, giving hope to the other families. On Sept. 3, 2019, families inspired by Akar transformed her solo stance into a collective sit-in protest.
Since then, 17 families have reunited with their children thanks to the protest's success.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women and children.
The minister further announced on the same day that a high-ranking PKK terrorist, sought by Turkey under the red category, was eliminated.
The Interior Ministry’s wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and gray.
