861 days on, protest against PKK going strong in Turkiye

DIYARBAKIR, Turkiye

Families whose children have been abducted or forcibly recruited by the PKK terror group continued their protest in Turkiye’s southeastern Diyarbakir province on Monday.

Since Sept. 3, 2019, families have camped for 861 days outside the Diyarbakir offices of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), a party the Turkish government says has links with the PKK.

Demonstrations have since spread to other provinces including Van, Mus, Sirnak and Hakkari.

Sevgi Cagmar, a mother, said her son Yavuz was a university student when he was tricked into joining the terror group in 2015.

“My son was abducted and taken by the HDP. We have been in pain for the past seven years. We, and all the mothers and fathers here, will not leave until we get back our children,” she said.

Ekrem Gokkus, whose son Okan was just 12 years old when he was abducted in 2017, said he joined the sit-in with the belief that he will soon be reunited with his child.

Both parents called on their children to flee from the terror group and surrender to Turkish security forces.

In Turkiye, offenders linked to terrorist groups are eligible for possible sentence reductions under a repentance law, if they surrender.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist group by Turkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas