Turkey: Family's protest against YPG/PKK growing

By Nurten Aslan and Aziz Aslan

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - Another family joined on Monday a months-long sit-in protest against YPG/PKK terror group in southeastern Turkey.

On its 154th day, Nurten Seker, mother of a daughter who was kidnapped in the eastern Malatya province 10 years ago, joined the protest staged outside the Diyarbakir office of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a political party accused by the government of having links to the terrorist organization YPG/PKK.

Nurten Seker and her husband Yusuf Seker explained why they joined the protest.

"I saw that the children of the families participating in the protest fled the terrorist organization and surrendered. Maybe our daughter sees us on TV and returns to us," she said.

Father Seker voiced hope that his daughter who dropped out of university would hear their voice and surrender to the Turkish security forces.

Meanwhile, despite the cold weather, mothers who sit in front of HDP's Diyarbakir office continue to protest the YPG/PKK terror group.

Esmer Koc, mother of Zubeyde who was kidnapped in the southeastern Hakkari province seven years ago when she was 15-years-old, vowed not to give up until she would meet her daughter again.

"I urge all young people who join the PKK to surrender to the Turkish security forces. The PKK and the HDP want you all to die for their ideologies. But, your parents want you to live," she said.

Sevket Bingol, father of Tuncay, also kidnapped by the terror group, said he was determined to protest until he would hug his son.

"Why our children should die for the PKK? We never accept that. The PKK and the HDP do not have any right to steal our children from us. We will never give up until we take back our children," he said.

The protest started on Sept. 3 outside the office of HDP in Diyarbakir when Fevziye Cetinkaya, Remziye Akkoyun and Aysegul Bicer said their children were coerced or recruited or even kidnapped by PKK terrorists.

Since then, the number of families protesting in front of the building has increased demanding the return of their children whom they claim were deceived or kidnapped by the terror group.

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 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut