Turkey: Family threatened for protesting terror group

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey

A family among many others, who stage sit-in protests in front of provincial office of a opposition political party in southeastern Turkey to save their children from hands of a terror group, claimed that they have been threatened by three members of the party’s youth branch.

A number of families take part in the protest since a mother, Fevziye Cetinkaya, claimed her 17-year-old son had joined the ranks of the terror group through members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) -- long accused by the government of having links to the PKK terror group -- in Diyarbakir province and started the protest on Sept. 3.

Father Mustafa Bicer said that they were threatened by three people a with long-barreled gun who claimed to be with HDP’s youth branch in Baglar district.

“They threatened us to end the sit-in protest in front of the provincial office of the HDP,” Bicer said, adding that they were threatened with death if they continued their protest.

Bicer noted that they will not step back and added: “We want our children back.”

He said that the members of the youth branch were also being deceived, and called on them to “wake up” to the reality.

“These threats are done under order of the HDP members. They are using our own children against us,” he said.

Bicer said that efforts were underway to capture the individuals after security forces were informed about the incident.

Last month, another mother, Hacire Akar, staged a similar protest near the party's office. Her son returned home a few days later giving hope to a number of mothers who suffer the same circumstances.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

*Writing by Sena Guler