Turkey: Sit-in families continue anti-PKK protest

By Hasan Namli

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - A group of aggrieved families in southeastern Turkey continued a sit-in protest Friday against the YPG/PKK terror group for the 361th 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 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.

Zumrut Salim, a mother coming from Yuksekova district of eastern Hakkari province, joined the sit-in protest for her son Hamza, who was kidnapped six years ago when he was 14 years old.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Salim said that she would continue to take part in the sit-in until she unites with her child.

Salim said the HDP deputies do not give any explanation regarding the kidnapping. "They have taken away our children […] I want my son back," she said.

Ali Ozkan, a resident of the southern Hatay province, took part in the protest for his sister Esra Ozkan, from whom he has not heard for the past seven years.

Ozkan said that his sister was kidnapped when she was a university student, adding that young people should stay away from these evil nests.

"If you are seeking for rights, study in your schools. This country is a free and democratic country and everyone can seek for their rights," he said.

"Now it is time for them to get their hands off our children. In which condition these children of 14-15 years of age are living in? God knows, if they are alive. For years, their families haven't heard of their children," he said.

Under a repentance law in Turkey, offenders linked to terrorist groups are eligible for reduced sentences if they surrender.

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.