More families join anti-PKK sit-in in SE Turkey

By Mehmet Siddik Kaya and Aziz Aslan

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - More families on Monday 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.

The protest started on Sept. 3 after a mother, Fevziye Cetinkaya, said her 17-year-old son was forcibly recruited by the PKK through members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

Vahide Sunar, a mother who attended the sit-in on Monday, said she joined the protesting families for her son Ahmet Sunar, who was kidnapped by the PKK in 2014 in the Dicle district of southeastern Diyarbakir province.

“I got courage after seeing the protesting families here and joined them”, Sunar said.

Noting that she has a special child to take care of, Sunar said she will keep on coming to the sit-in whenever she can.

Five Iranian families also joined the sit-in for their children -- who were kidnapped by the PJAK, the offshoot of the PKK terrorist group based in Iran.

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 Erdogan Cagatay Zontur.