Turkey: Families continue sit-in against PKK on Day 338

By Aziz Aslan

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - A sit-in by aggrieved families in southeastern Turkey on Monday entered its 338th day.

The protest began on Sept. 3 last year in the city of Diyarbakir, when Fevziye Cetinkaya, Remziye Akkoyun and Aysegul Bicer said their children had been forcibly recruited by YPG/ PKK terrorists. The sit-in outside the office of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) -- which the government accuses of having links to YPG/PKK -- has been growing day by day with the participation of many others since then.

Protesters have vowed to remain at the sit-in until every family reunites with their child.

Necibe Ciftci is one of the mothers who is at the protest.

She said the PKK terror group kidnapped one of her sons and killed her other son.

"I no longer have the strength to bear this. Enough! give our children back," she cried out.

Another mother, Songul Altintas said her son Muslum was abducted by the terror group six years ago.

Altintas said she will not stop protesting against the terror group until she reached her son.

"PKK always kidnaps the children of the Kurds. It constantly persecutes us and our children. Enough PKK! Give me back my son," she said.

Sevket Bingol, one of the protesting fathers, said his son Tuncay was kidnapped by the terror group six years ago, and the absence of his child was the greatest pain he had ever suffered from.

The father said the terror group is the cause of all his suffering and called his son to surrender to the Turkish security forces.

Offenders in Turkey linked to terrorist groups who surrender are eligible for possible sentence reductions under a repentance law.

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

* Writing by Fahri Aksut