Kurdish parents protesting their children’s abduction by the PKK terrorists in front of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in southeast Turkey pledged determination to maintain their protests and even extend it to a 24-hour basis. They called on everyone to support their cause against terrorism as their protests enter their third year on Sept. 3.
The parents are expected to start an around-the-clock protest at the same spot, in order to draw attention to their struggle and encourage more children to return home.
On Wednesday, they hung a Turkish flag on the HDP building’s main gate in preparation for the commemoration to mark two years of protests.
Most families have stated that their children were last seen at the HDP provincial building while many others claim they had been forcefully abducted.
“We work day and night for our children,” mother Türkan Mutlu told Anadolu Agency (AA), adding that they do not want their children to die at the hands of PKK terrorists.
She continued by calling on the world to stand by the parents on Sept. 3 and hear their voices.
“I will not leave the HDP’s door until I get my Ceylan back, even if the sit-in lasts for 10 years,” Mutlu said, referring to her daughter Ceylan who was abducted by the PKK terrorists.
Meanwhile, father Celil Begdaş said many children were able to leave the PKK and return to their homes thanks to their struggle.
“Nobody can defeat us. Only parents know what it means to lose their children,” Begdaş said, as he urged everyone to join them on Sept. 3.
Some 32 families were reunited with their children as a result of the protests.
The protest started when Hacire Akar turned up on the doorstep of the HDP’s Diyarbakır office one night. Akar’s son Mehmet subsequently returned home on Aug. 24, 2019, giving hope to other families. A week later, on Sept. 3, 2019, families inspired by Akar transformed her solo posture into a collective sit-in protest.
Families have continued their protest under difficult conditions. They were sometimes threatened by HDP officials and even by people linked with the PKK terrorist organization. They have also not given up during the coronavirus pandemic, continuing sit-in protests while taking the necessary precautions.
A significant number of suspected terrorists have started fleeing the PKK and surrendering, while many terrorists lack the courage to leave the group because they would face severe punishment if caught. The dissolution of the PKK has accelerated due to Turkey's successful counterterrorism operations and strategies both at home and abroad. In recent years, Turkey has seen record numbers of PKK terrorists giving themselves up in the face of determined domestic and cross-border counterterrorism operations.
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 at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
The PKK's use of child soldiers has been repeatedly documented and criticized by international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW). The group reportedly tricks families into giving up their young sons and daughters or outright kidnaps them, taking them to training camps where they are denied contact with their families.
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 show their solidarity.
