ISTANBUL
"Berfo Ana" who became a symbol of disappearances in custody during 1980 coup in Turkey lost her life at the age of 105.
She passed away in her house due to stomach cancer on Thursday and will be buried in Turkey's eastern Ardahan province on Friday.
She became a public figure after demanding justice for her long lost son Cemil Kirbayir at court. Attending several events organized by mothers suffering from disappearances after coup, she even met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to put the issue onto the agenda.
"Berfo Ana" also attended the hearing of 1980 coup leaders Kenan Evren and Tahsin Sahinkaya, coming to court with ambulance at the age of 105 and became an intervener at the hearing.
Berfo Kirbayir’s son Cemil Kirbayir, a member of the outlawed leftist "Revolutionary Youth" (Dev-Genc) organization, is thought to have been killed in custody in the eastern province of Kars in 1980. "Berfo Ana" had been searching for her son's grave ever since.
