Turkey: Another family reunites with abducted child

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey

One more family on Tuesday reunited with their child kidnapped by the YPG/PKK terrorist group in southeastern Turkey.

An aggrieved family's longing has come to an end after Ibrahim Cetin, who was abducted and taken to the mountains by the terrorists six years ago surrendered to the Turkish security forces.

The reunion of the Cetin Family from the eastern province of Erzurum gave hope to other families, whose sit-in in front of the Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) provincial headquarter in southeastern Diyarbakir province marked 407 days. The government accuses the HDP of having links to the YPG/PKK.

So far, 19 families have reunited with their children since the start of the sit-in on Sept. 3, 2019.

Gulhabar Teker, another mother from eastern Mus province whose son also was abducted by the YPG/PKK six years ago, called on all forcibly recruited children to surrender to Turkish security sources.

Suleyman Aydin, who joined the sit-in for his son, said: "Our sit-in protest is yielding results. We will continue to protest."

The protest began on Sept. 3 last year in Diyarbakir, when Fevziye Cetinkaya, Remziye Akkoyun, and Aysegul Bicer said their children had been forcibly recruited by YPG/PKK terrorists.

The sit-in protest has been growing every day. The grieving families have vowed to continue the protest until every family is reunited with their children.

* Written by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara