Peace Mothers march in Mardin against isolation and deaths in Turkish prisons

Members of the Peace Mothers Council from Mardin and other cities staged a demonstration to express their concerns over the increasing deaths in prisons and the isolation of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan under the motto “We will break the isolation; we will build a free life”.

The Peace Mothers, including Halime Gezer, the mother of Garibe Gezer who allegedly committed suicide in Kandıra No. 1 F Type Closed Prison, gathered in front of the Mardin Courthouse and moved to the Karayolları Park for a press statement. Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputies Remziye Tosun and Semra Güzel joined the mothers as they gathered in the park.

Speaking here, HDP Mardin provincial co-chair Perihan Ağaoğlu stated that the isolation imposed on Öcalan is getting more aggravated and expressed their concerns over the increasing deaths in prisons. Ağaoğlu remarked that the government keeps the sick prisoners as hostages and called for their immediate release. She also called for an end to the aggravated isolation conditions, stressing that deaths in prisons would bring no solution.

 ‘OUR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN KILLED’

Peace Mother Besna Günay noted that they did not raise their children to die in a prison, adding that new deaths come out of prisons each day despite their calls against the war. “They say that the prisoners killed themselves. We know that this is not the case. Don’t they know what the reason is? Do they not know who is responsible?” Günay asked.

Halime Gezer, Garibe’s mother, said that her daughter did not commit suicide in prison. “My daughter was murdered. How will you give an account for this? What was your problem with my daughter? Something like this is a rare thing to see anywhere else in the world: leaving people to starvation and death. You kill a new person each day and say that they committed suicide. We will never accept this. Don’t kill our children anymore. You murdered my two children. My Garibe is not dead. She lives in my heart. You are afraid of this photo of Garibe. Such a situation has never been witnessed in any religion. You stole my daughter’s dead body. Our lawyers were able to take the body much later. Enough is enough,” she said.

After the press release, the crowd started to march towards the HDP provincial building, chanting slogans. The police blocked the group and said that they would not be allowed to march. Following the intensification of obstructions, the crowd dispersed chanting slogans.