An exhibition showcasing 42 photos of Turkish mothers participating in anti-PKK terrorist group demonstrations was inaugurated in Türkiye's southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Tuesday.
"The Moment When Time Stops For Diyarbakır Mothers" exhibition at the historical landmark of Keçi Burcu displays the longing felt by Diyarbakır mothers for their children. They are staging sit-ins outside the office of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) for their sons and daughters abducted and taken to the mountains.
The exhibition, which runs till Feb. 14, was opened by Diyarbakır Governor Ali Ihsan Su and Anadolu Agency (AA)'s Director General Serdar Karagöz.
Su said reporters and photographers of AA captured the anguish, sadness and dreams of the mothers, hoping that the public display "will help save our children who are in the hands of terror groups, as well as console our mothers and end their agony."
Meanwhile, Karagöz said the only objective of the protesting mothers is to save their children from terrorist organizations and keep them alive. whom he praised for their resistance.
"A mother's heart is stronger than all the weapons in the world," Karagöz said, adding that AA followed this resistance since Day One and conveyed the just struggle to the world through visual content and news in 13 languages.
"We are all aware of the truth. Mothers' hearts beat and live alongside their children," he said. "When mothers are separated from their children, time seems to stand still. Unfortunately, for the Diyarbakir mothers, the time has stopped till they see their children again," Karagöz said, explaining the reason for the installation.
Karagöz said AA journalists visited the mothers at their homes, listened to each of them for 20 days, and took each other's photos in a composition defined by their unique tales.
Photography is the purest and most condensed manner of telling a tale, he said, adding: "This exhibition will later be displayed in other parts of Türkiye as well as in other cities across the world, including Paris, Sweden, Germany, New York and at the U.N., so that the entire world can witness this cruelty, drama and injustice."
The “Diyarbakır Mothers” group comprises families mainly of Kurdish background. They gained their nickname when a mother, Hacire Akar, turned up at the doorstep of the HDP 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, families inspired by Akar staged a collective sit-in protest on Sept. 3, 2019.
The demonstration outside the HDP – a party currently facing a closure case, and which the government accuses of having links to the terrorists – has been growing every day.
Demonstrations have also spread to other provinces, including Van, Muş, Şırnak and Hakkari.
In its over 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the terrorist group’s Syrian branch.
