Another family joins protest against PKK terrorism

By Nurten Aslan

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - One more family on Friday joined a sit-in outside the provincial office of a Turkish opposition political party long accused by the government of having links to the PKK terror group.

Some 22 families are staging a demonstration in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir claiming their sons joined the ranks of the terror group through members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

The protest started on Sept. 3 after a mother, Fevziye Cetinkaya, said her 17-year-old son was forcibly recruited by the political party.

Fatima Bingol, 45, told Anadolu Agency her 14-year-old son went missing five years ago.

"One day he said he was going to look for a job and never came back," she said.

"I am constantly looking for him. I haven't abandoned him. I will do whatever I can for him, even sacrifice myself. The [HDP] party says: 'Don’t worry about your son. He is there.' However, I haven’t heard anything about him."

The father, Sevket Bingol said his son was deceived by the HDP and kidnapped and taken to the mountains. He said he will continue his protest until his son comes home.

"Whenever I go to the HDP office, they say: 'Your son must be on the mountains, but we don't know.' If you know that he is on the mountains you must be knowing his whereabouts," Sevket Bingol said.

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.