The Saturday Mothers initiative began the new year with an urgent appeal for truth, justice, and social reconciliation. At their 1084th vigil on the symbolic Galatasaray Square in Istanbul, they once again demanded clarification about the fate of their relatives who disappeared while in state custody, as well as consistent legal prosecution of those responsible.
With carnations in their hands and photos of their missing family members, the relatives of the disappeared gathered publicly for the first time in 2026. Their demands remained unchanged: they want the truth, criminal prosecution, legal reforms, and an end to police repression against their peaceful gatherings.
Tosun: We are entering a new year with the same old uncertainty
The statement by the Saturday Mothers was read out by Besna Tosun, whose father, Fehmi Tosun, was arrested in 1995 and never seen again. Tosun said that this year had also begun without the fate of many of the disappeared having been clarified. “The turn of the year brings us no renewal, but rather increases the uncertainty. Our right to truth and justice is being systematically violated. This increases the responsibility to keep the memory of the disappeared alive, to continue the struggle, and not to forget,” Tosun said.
Demands for the new year
In their statement, the Saturday Mothers formulated a series of political and legal demands:
▪ Independent investigations into cases of enforced disappearance and criminal prosecution of those responsible.
▪ Recognition of the right to truth for relatives of the disappeared.
▪ Repeal of the police-enforced ban on assembly in Galatasaray Square, which is unlawful according to two rulings by the Turkish Constitutional Court.
▪ Legal regulation defining enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity and making it a punishable offense.
▪ Accession to the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and ratification of the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Our vigils are not only an expression of our grief, but also a symbol of society’s call for justice and democracy. The hope is that 2026 will be a year in which the disappeared are found, the perpetrators are brought to justice, and the foundations for peace and justice are laid. As long as our relatives are not found and the perpetrators are not brought to justice, we will not give up,” Tosun underlined.
“The barricades must be removed”
Following the statement, other relatives spoke. Ikbal Eren, whose brother Hayrettin Eren disappeared in 1980, said: “Every new year brings new hope, but also new grief. We want the barricades here to be removed so that we can finally speak freely again in Galatasaray Square.” Eren criticized the ongoing police blockade of the square and recalled that the site had long been a central space for public remembrance.
“We will not give up this place”
Irfan Bilgin, brother of Kenan Bilgin, who has been missing since 1994, also spoke clearly: “We decorated the square with flowers at the turn of the year, yet we are surrounded by fences. The state is denying us not only the truth, but also the right to be here at all.” Bilgin made it clear that the initiative’s demands have remained the same for decades. The vigils will continue until justice is served, he said, adding: “The murderers of our loved ones must be brought to justice. Until that happens, we will continue to fight.”
Since 1995, the Saturday Mothers have been protesting weekly against the violent disappearance of people in state custody, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of the cases remain unsolved to this day, and relatives complain of systematic cover-ups and a lack of access to legal remedies. Their peaceful vigils have been criminalized for years and at times violently dispersed. Since 2018, access to Galatasaray Square has been repeatedly banned or blocked by police barriers, despite a ruling to the contrary by the Constitutional Court.
