The “National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission,” established in Parliament to resolve the Kurdish question, will meet with families who lost their relatives during the conflict to listen to their views. Representatives of the Saturday Mothers, Peace Mothers, and various human rights organizations will also attend the commission’s meetings to share their assessments of the process.
As the struggle of the Peace Mothers once again comes to the agenda in Turkey’s search for democratization and lasting peace, Peace Mother Türkan Durç emphasized that the pain experienced will only come to an end through peace. She stated that all mothers carry common grief, but that the pursuit of justice has been made increasingly difficult by obstructive and discriminatory state policies.
Underlining her determination for peace, Türkan Durç issued a call to the authorities and to the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, saying: “I demand the inclusion of Abdullah Öcalan and the disarmed guerrillas in the political process.”
Türkan Durç said that Abdullah Öcalan had always wanted the Peace Mothers to gather, and that she joined them both because of political pressures and by taking into account Öcalan’s calls. Emphasizing that they sought nothing but peace, Türkan Durç said: “In this society there were peoples who were denied: Kurds, Syriacs, Arabs, Yazidis… No one was accepted on these lands. Much blood was shed, and our children were also forced to struggle. One of my children is in prison, and another is in the freedom struggle. We too are a people with rightful claims to these lands. We are a people with a language, a culture, and a richness. We want our existence to finally be recognized on these lands.”
Our path is always blocked
Türkan Durç said, “People believe that peace will be brought by the mothers,” and added that they had not seen a single positive step from the state.
Durç continued: “Even when we go to press statements or prison visits, our way is blocked. They say, ‘These are the Peace Mothers,’ and they never let us pass. Although we are the ones who want peace, although we are the ones who do not want soldiers, police officers, or our children to die; although we are mothers, our way is always shut. Many of our mothers have been detained and imprisoned just for raising their voices. They have always prevented us from expressing ourselves. They even wanted to prevent us from saying, ‘Let Kurds and Turks sit together.’”
All mothers’ tears are the same
Türkan Durç emphasized that the commission established in Parliament must be inclusivec and said: “We want this commission to be broad in scope. We want mothers of all colors to take part, and especially the Peace Mothers to be included. It is a good thing that a commission has been formed in the name of brotherhood. We now expect the right steps from this commission. We do not want it to remain only on paper. For this commission to function properly, everyone must come together. The Peace Mothers, the mothers of martyrs, the mothers of those in the mountains, and the mothers of those in the military must also be part of this commission. They too are mothers whose hearts have burned like ours. All mothers’ tears are the same. We would very much like to be together and join hands to support this commission.”
Let Öcalan do politics in Parliament
Peace Mother Türkan Durç stated that they also had demands from Devlet Bahçeli and Tayyip Erdoğan, calling on them to embrace peace and take steps to open all paths.
She said, “Mothers who lost their children have been on the streets for years, raising their voices every Saturday. Those families are searching for the remains of their children; fulfill their demands at last. We also expect Devlet Bahçeli to keep his word. We want Öcalan to do politics in Parliament and to be released as soon as possible.”
Burning weapons is not the same as laying them down
Türkan Durç, demanding that her children who laid down their arms be included in politics, concluded with the following remarks: “We went to the South and witnessed a historic day. While we rejoiced at the burning of weapons, we also felt doubt. Many times, Öcalan halted weapons for peace, and peace groups came together with the people. But since peace did not come, we were all saddened. This time we hope that there will truly be peace. Burning weapons is not the same as laying them down. Burning means that the weapons will never fire again. We expect the state to see this and take steps as soon as possible. We want all of our friends and children who laid down their arms to take part in politics.”