PKK terrorist meets family after surrendering to Turkish forces

Cafer Ceylan, a PKK terrorist, met with his family Tuesday amid his ongoing judicial process in southeast Turkey.

Ceylan was persuaded to lay down his weapon and surrender in Diyarbakir province to Turkish security forces who collaborated with his family.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also called the Ceylan family to congratulate them on their son’s return.

Families began staging sit-in protests on September 3 outside the offices of the opposition HDP in Diyarbakir.

One woman, Fevziye Cetinkaya, said her underage son had been forcibly recruited by YPG/PKK terrorists with the help of members of the HDP, which is accused by the government of having links to the terrorist group.

Since then, the number of protesting families has been growing as they demand the return of their children, who they say were deceived or kidnapped by PKK terrorists.

Hatice Ceylan joined the protests on October 8 for her son, who was kidnapped four years ago when he was 15 years old.

Hearing that his mother had taken part in the sit-in, Cafer Ceylan decided to escape from the terrorist organisation to reach his family.

According to a statement by the Turkish Interior Ministry on November 26, the dissolution of the PKK has recently accelerated thanks to successfully conducted counter-terrorism operations in Turkey and abroad.

The statement said significant numbers of terrorists have started fleeing the PKK and surrendering. More than 235 terrorists have surrendered to Turkish security forces in 2019.

Once the terrorists surrender, they are able to contact their families freely and are provided with essential judicial assistance. The Turkish state offers a variety of services to ensure their integration into society.

According to their statements, the ringleaders of the PKK terror group risk the lives of other terrorists to save their own lives and threaten those planning to surrender with torture.

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 nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. 

The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.