Parents meet with their PKK-linked son after surrender

By Hasan Namli and Omer Yasin Ergin

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - A PKK terrorist met with his family Tuesday amid his ongoing judicial process in southeastern Turkey.

Cafer Ceylan was persuaded to lay down his weapon and surrender in southeastern Diyarbakir province to Turkish security forces who collaborated with his family.

Families began staging sit-in protests on Sept. 3 outside the offices of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Diyarbakir.

One woman, Fevziye Cetinkaya, said her underage son had been forcibly recruited by YPG/PKK terrorists with the help of members of the HDP, which is accused by the government of having links to the terrorist group.

Since then, the number of protesting families has been growing as they demand the return of their children, who they say were deceived or kidnapped by PKK terrorists.

Hatice Ceylan joined the protests on Oct. 8 for her son, who was kidnapped four years ago when he was 15 years old.

Hearing that his mother had taken part in the sit-in, Cafer Ceylan decided to escape from the terrorist organization to reach his family.

According to a statement by the Turkish Interior Ministry on Nov. 26, the dissolution of the PKK has recently accelerated thanks to successfully conducted counter-terrorism operations in Turkey and abroad.

The statement said significant numbers of terrorists have started fleeing the PKK and surrendering. More than 235 terrorists have surrendered to Turkish security forces in 2019.

Once the terrorists surrender, they are provided with many opportunities including education rights and the freedom to live without fear and oppression.

They are not ill-treated, are able to contact their families freely and are provided with essential judicial assistance. The Turkish state offers a variety of services to ensure their integration into society.

According to their statements, the ringleaders of the PKK terror group risk the lives of other terrorists to save their own lives and threaten those planning to surrender with torture.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.