Turkish mothers' anti-PKK sit-in protest takes center stage in Nevsehir

By Behcet Alkan

NEVSEHIR, Türkiye (AA) - An international event was held on Saturday to raise voice of hundreds of families whose children were abducted by the PKK terrorist organization, or its Syrian branch the YPG.

Türkiye's central Nevsehir province on Saturday hosted the first international Diyarbakir mothers' congress, which brought together artists, academics and journalists.

Organized by the Media Platform Association in cooperation with the Turkish Interior Ministry and Directorate of Communications, the congress addressed issues such as new social movement, emotional labor, media sociology, belonging and belief, and women's resistance.

The sit-in protest against the PKK terror group in southeastern Türkiye began in September 2019 in Diyarbakir, when three mothers said their children had been forcibly recruited by YPG/PKK terrorists.

The sit-in outside the offices of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) – a party currently facing a closure case, and which the government accuses of having links to the terrorist YPG/PKK – has been growing every day.

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

Addressing the congress, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said terrorism is Türkiye's "red line," adding: "We will never allow this. We are behind the will of the mothers until the end."

Mustafa Acikgoz, a Justice and Development (AK) Party lawmaker from Nevsehir, said: "It is a crime against humanity that children are kidnapped and given weapons in their hands."

Acikgoz added that the mothers show resistance against both the HDP and the PKK, and also against western countries that use them in the region.

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 some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the terror group’s Syrian branch.

* Writing by Diyar Guldogan