Peace Mother detained in Mardin

In Artuklu district of Mardin, Peace Mother Helime Işık was taken into custody on Monday amidst the wave of repression in the run-up to the anniversary of the abduction of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan from Kenya to Turkey on 15 February, 1999. According to information available so far, the police stormed the house of the Peace Mother.

Işık had undergone surgery for a mass in her head and was only released from hospital on 12 February. She also suffers from Graves’ disease. On Monday morning, Maşallah Arslan, Taybet Tekin, Hediye Suçin, Vetha Kaçar from the Peace Mothers Council were already arrested in Sêrt.

Peace Mothers

The initiative of the Peace Mothers was founded in 2001. They are made up of mothers of guerrilla fighters and political prisoners, but there are also mothers of soldiers in the Turkish army. The initiative has set itself the goal of fighting with all its means against the continuation of the war and for a political solution. They do not only stand up for peace, they are exemplary for a permanent commitment to dialogue and democratisation in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan. Thus, the mothers played a key role in various peace processes and made a short-term breakthrough possible through their participation in the hunger strike activities for the lifting of the isolation of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in 2019.