Mothers’ sit-in protest against PKK growing in Turkey

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey

On Thursday, another family joined a sit-in protest in southeastern Turkey outside the provincial office of a Turkish opposition party long accused by the government of having links to the PKK terror group.

The protest started on Sept. 3 in Diyarbakir after a mother, Fevziye Cetinkaya, said her 17-year-old son was forcibly recruited by the PKK through members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

Yildiz Balli came from Konya, central Turkey, to join the sit-in protest, which is ongoing with some 40 families currently. She claimed her daughter was kidnapped by the PKK five years ago in Istanbul.

Balli said her daughter Yasemin left home for work and never came back when she was 16 years old.

Mourning mother said an online news story reported her daughter dead in 2018, however, she does not want to believe in it.

"If my daughter is dead, give me her body," Balli said.

Also earlier, five Iranian families also joined the sit-in for their children -- who were kidnapped by the PJAK, the offshoot of the PKK terrorist group based in Iran.

Last month, another mother, Hacire Akar, staged a similar protest near the party's office. Her son returned home a few days later giving hope to a number of mothers who suffer the same circumstances.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.