More families flock to anti-PKK protest in Turkey's Diyarbakir

Families are continuing to join an anti-PKK sit-in outside the office of HDP opposition party which has been known to have links with the terror group.

Families join a sit-in protest outside the HDP provincial office in Diyarbakir, saying their children joined the ranks of the terror group through members of the HDP. September 13, 2019.
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Families join a sit-in protest outside the HDP provincial office in Diyarbakir, saying their children joined the ranks of the terror group through members of the HDP. September 13, 2019.

More families on Monday joined a sit-in protest outside the provincial office of a Turkish opposition political party, accusing it of recruiting young people to the PKK terror group.

The protest started on September 3 after a mother, Fevziye Cetinkaya, said her 17-year-old son was forcibly recruited by the PKK through members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) - a move that spurred almost 40 families to join the protest.

Vahide Sunar, a mother who attended the sit-in on Monday, said she joined the protesting families for her son Ahmet Sunar, who was kidnapped by the PKK in 2014 in the Dicle district of southeastern Diyarbakir province.

“I got courage after seeing the protesting families here and joined them,” Sunar said.

Noting that she has a special child to take care of, Sunar said she will keep on coming to the sit-in whenever she can.

Five Iranian families also joined the sit-in protest for their children ⁠— who were kidnapped by the PJAK, the offshoot of the PKK terrorist group based in Iran.

Last month, another mother, Hacire Akar, staged a similar protest near the party's office. Her son returned home a few days later giving hope to several who suffer the same circumstances.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK ⁠— listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU ⁠— has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

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