The Kurdish mothers that have been protesting the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) for abducting their children for recruitment into terrori
The Kurdish mothers that have been protesting the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) for abducting their children for recruitment into terrorist organizations have made their determination on the issue clear, saying that they would continue their protests for 85 years if necessary, let alone 85 days. Resisting in front of the provincial HDP building in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır, the mothers ignore the cold and look forward to the day they will rejoin their children.
“I do not fear the PKK. If I feared them I would not come here. They claim that they killed my two children for me, they abducted one of them to the mountains and killed the other,” stated Necibe Çiftçi who explained that one of her sons, Sami Çiftçi, was killed by the PKK after being abducted from the village because they did not support the terrorist organization. Now, Çiftçi is attending the sit-in protest for her son Roşat who was abducted five years ago and is determined not to leave until he is found.
“The HDP does not represent us. If they did represent us, would they take our children to the mountains? Would they deceive our children? Would they forcefully abduct a child of 8th grade age who was about to get to high school on his summer vacation?” Çiftçi continued by adding that she did not even wash the bed of her son so as not to forget his scent.
Another mother, Cennet Kavaklı, is participating in the sit-in for her 24-year-old soldier son Adil Kavaklı who was abducted on his way to the master unit in 2015. “Today is the 85th day, we will not leave this place even if it is 85 years. I hope my son arrives safe and sound. I cannot think about anything but him,” Kavaklı said on Tuesday.
Çiftçi further invited all mothers to demand their children back and to save their children from this mess. “I call familiar mothers from Şemdinli to come here. Come and claim your children,” she stated.
The sit-in protests are seen as a reaction against the outlawed PKK, a terror group which has abducted and recruited their children, as well as the HDP, a political party which many of these families view as in league with the PKK. The protest has continued since Sept. 3, with 57 families in total currently protesting, including five Iranian families whose children were abducted by the PKK’s Iranian wing, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK). The protest started when Hacire Akar turned up at the doorstep of the HDP’s Diyarbakır office one night. A week later, on Sept. 3, 2019, families inspired by Akar transformed her solo stance into a collective sit-in protest. Akar’s son Mehmet returned home on Aug. 24, showing people that there is still hope.
Şehmus Kaya, a father who came to demand his son added “I am Kurdish but I am happy to live under this [Turkish] flag.”
The HDP, long facing public reaction and judicial probes over its ties to the PKK, is under pressure due to this growing civilian protest movement launched by mothers and local families. Meanwhile, various groups from all around Turkey have supported the Kurdish mothers in their cause, with many paying visits to show their support. The HDP is also known for encouraging young people to join the terrorist organization. That is to say, children abducted by the PKK are first radicalized by the HDP. The would-be recruits are then used as an instrument for propaganda and are forced to work. Specialists define four stages of radicalization, the first of which is brainwashing, thereby encouraging the young to join the terrorist organization. This is followed by the armament, violation and finally, leaving to join the organization in the mountains.
The PKK has been involved in a 30-year campaign of terror against Turkey. The terrorist organization is responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.