Families make history with 1,000-day uninterrupted anti-PKK sit-in protest in eastern Turkiye

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - Mothers in Turkiye who marked the 1,000 day of an uninterrupted sit-in protest in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir are making history, the nation’s presidential communications director said Saturday.

"Diyarbakir mothers are waging one of the largest and most powerful civil resistances to save their children, who have been kidnapped and ensnared by the terror organization, PKK, from the swamp of terrorism," said Fahrettin Altun.

Altun addressed participants in a video message at the "A Societal Protest of the PKK’s Abduction of Children: Diyarbakir Mothers against the PKK Panel" held by Turkiye's Communications Directorate in the Hague, Netherlands.

"They are writing the story of valor that has withstood 1,000 days despite all the terrorist groups' threats and pressures and a blessed resistance that defies terrorism," Altun added.

Mothers have become the outcry of the conscience of the society, he said. "Theirs is the rightful revolt against terrorism of mothers who have been compelled to conceal their pain thus far; repressed, intimidated, and even silenced for 40 years as a result of the terrorist organization's brutality and persecution."

He highlighted the importance of the unity of mothers and said: "They have become the collective voice and conscience of our country's 83 million people."

Touching on the courage of the mothers for their children, he underlined that "35 families that have participated in children watch so far have been reunited with their children due to their escape from the organization and surrender to our security forces."

- Sit-in reveals ‘true colors’ of PKK terror group

Meanwhile, stressing one of the significant contributions of the protest that is still going strong, Altun said: "This unprecedented children watch also contributed to revealing the true colors of the PKK terror organization, even beyond our borders.

"Thus, European politicians and journalists have seen the Diyarbakır mothers and witnessed the terror organization and its political extensions -- those so-called ‘freedom fighters’ -- in action and how they viewed the Kurdish population," he said.

Also, the director called on all NGOs, human rights defenders, activists, artists, intellectuals, journalists, and politicians to stand by Diyarbakir mothers.

"Everyone has a responsibility to support this resistance. It is incumbent upon citizens of all walks of life in our country to demonstrate their support for this non-political civil movement. We believe that international support for our cause must stem from faith in peace and democracy," he added.

In the fight against terror groups, including PKK/YPG and DHKP-C, and Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), he said: "Turkiye expects genuine support and cooperation from friendly and allied countries."

Since Sept. 3, 2019, families, whose children have been abducted or forcibly recruited by the PKK terror group, have been camping outside the Diyarbakir offices of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), a party the Turkish government said has links to the PKK.

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

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

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 2016 in Turkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.