A mother protesting her son’s abduction by PKK terrorists in front of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakır province said her son has become permanently disabled by the terrorists, as she reiterated her pledge to continue to protest until he returns.
Noting that her son Aziz was abducted six years ago, mother Güzide Demir said she has been protesting for three years.
"The HDP tore apart our heart and we never heard back from him ever since," Demir told Ihlas News Agency (IHA) Monday, adding that Aziz was maimed by the terrorists, according to a phone call he made to her from hospital.
"The HDP has been oppressing us. They kidnap our children and do not let them go free," the sad mother said and added that she has not heard from her son for three years and will continue to attend the protest until he returns.
Meanwhile, mother Sevgi Çağmar told Anadolu Agency (AA) that her son was deceived into joining the PKK terrorists during his university education seven years ago.
"I am not leaving until my son returns. We’ve been suffering for seven years. It is about time the HDP and the PKK leave our children," she said, as she called on her son to lay down his arms and surrender to Turkish security forces.
Serdar Yıldız, who has been taking part in the protests for his brother Mahsun, who joined the terrorists six years ago at the age of 17, said he wants to reunite with him.
"I want my brother from the HDP and PKK. We won’t leave until I get my brother and our other brothers back," he said.
The protest started when Hacire Akar turned up on the doorstep of the HDP’s Diyarbakır office one night, demanding to be reunited with her son. Akar’s son Mehmet returned home on Aug. 24, 2019, giving hope to other families. A week later, on Sept. 3, 2019, families inspired by Akar staged a collective sit-in protest.
Since then, the number of families demanding the return of their children who, they say, were deceived or kidnapped by the terrorist group, has been gradually growing.
Families have not given up their posts despite difficult conditions, at times being threatened or ridiculed by HDP officials and those with links to the PKK terrorist organization. The protest continued despite the coronavirus pandemic, with the families taking the necessary precautions.
A significant number of suspected terrorists have begun fleeing the PKK and surrendering, but many terrorists lack the courage to leave the group out of fear of severe punishment if caught.
The HDP, long facing public scrutiny and judicial probes over its ties to the PKK, is under pressure from the growing civilian movement. Various groups from around Turkey have supported the Kurdish mothers in their cause, with many paying visits to the protests to show their solidarity.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.