Turkey: New families join anti-YPG/PKK protest

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey

Another family on Tuesday joined an ongoing sit-in protest in southeastern Turkey against the YPG/PKK terror group.

On its 316th day, Sever Fidan joined the protests staged outside the Diyarbakir office of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a political party accused by the government of having links to the terrorist organization YPG/PKK.

Fidan claimed that his 17-year-old son was kidnapped in southeastern Hakkari province 11 years ago. She said her son Tayfur was deforced by YPG/PKK terrorists.

"They deceived my son. Then they did not send my son back to me. I have not heard from him so far,” she said.

Another mother Necibe Ciftci said she joined the protest for her son Rosat who was kidnapped six years ago in Hakkari. She added that her other son was killed by PKK terrorists.

“We want our children from HDP and PKK. They should bring our children,” Ciftci said.

The protest started last September outside the offices of HDP in Diyarbakir when Fevziye Cetinkaya, Remziye Akkoyun, and Aysegul Bicer said their children had been forcibly recruited by PKK terrorists.

Since then, the number of families protesting in front of the building and demanding the return of their children -- whom they claim were deceived or kidnapped by the terror group -- has been rising.

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.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara