Turkey: Another family joins sit-in protesting YPG/PKK

By Sukru Gunduz

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - Another family joined Wednesday an ongoing sit-in protest of families outside provincial office of a political party in southeastern Turkey.

The protest started on Sept. 3 in Diyarbakir province when a mother, Fevziye Cetinkaya, said her underage son had been forcibly recruited by YPG/PKK terrorists with the help of members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a party accused by the government of having links to the terrorist group.

On the 107th day of the protest, Nagmet Akin from the eastern Batman province joined the Diyarbakir protest for his 17-year-old son who was kidnapped five months ago.

Akin said his son was a high school student and they cannot hear from him since the summer holiday.

The father said he saw the protesting families on the TV and joined them both to support the families and to reunite with his son.

“My son was constantly visiting the HDP office, we are suspicious of them,” he said, adding: “I want my son.”

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