Another family joins protest against PKK terror group in southeastern Türkiye

By Mehmet Siddik Kaya

DIYARBAKIR, Türkiye (AA) – One more family has joined the ongoing protest against the PKK terror group in Türkiye’s southeastern Diyarbakir province.

Since Sept. 3, 2019, families have been camping outside the offices of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), a party the Turkish government says has links to the PKK.

Demonstrations have also spread to other provinces, including Van, Mus, Sirnak, and Hakkari.

Abdusselam Kacar, a father, traveled from Hakkari province to join the protest.

He told reporters that his son Ali was just 17 and in high school when he was tricked into joining the terror group in 2013.

Kacar said he has not heard from his son for years.

Calling on his son to surrender to Turkish security forces, Kacar vowed to remain at the sit-in until he is reunited with his child.

The protest has borne fruit as dozens of children forcibly abducted or recruited by the terror group have fled the PKK and reunited with their families over the years.

In Türkiye, offenders linked to terror groups who surrender are eligible for possible sentence reductions under a repentance law.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar