Another family has joined the protest against the abduction of their children by the PKK terrorist organization in front of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in southeastern Diyarbakır province on Saturday.
Aydi Yiğit has joined the protest for her daughter Sitti Yiğit, who was abducted in 2012 from Hakkari province when she was 21.
The total number of protesting families has now reached 274.
The Kurdish mother told journalists that she has not been able to see her daughter for 10 years.
“The HDP abducted my daughter. I want my daughter from the PKK and HDP. I will not leave the sit-in before you come,” she said.
The protest started when Hacire Akar turned up at 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.
Demonstrations have since spread to other provinces, including Van, Muş, Şırnak and Hakkari.
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 more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
State prosecutors have filed a case with Turkey’s top court to close down the HDP due to its reported terrorist links.
