Support for Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's historic "Call for Peace and Democratic Society" made on February 27 continues. The mothers of those who were murdered in Şirnex (Şırnak) during the curfews in 2015-2016 declared their support for the call and demanded the state to take steps. 

 

Nazire Birlik, the mother of Hacı Lokman Birlik, whose body was dragged to an armored vehicle in Şirnex, stated that everyone should be happy and hopeful about the call. Nazire Birlik said, "The time has come. I ask Kurds and mothers to support this call. Believe in the right way. At the same time, our hope is that our people will be liberated and have thier rights like other peoples. These rights are the freedom to express themselves well, to live and to make a living without a climate of fear. Enough is enough. Much pain has been suffered and a price has been paid. We have experienced this pain, and we hope that no mother's heart will ever burn again. I make a call to the mothers of soldiers. They should say that we have gone through this pain and other mothers should not go through it. They should talk about this issue among themselves. I appeal to all mothers: They should always repeat the phrase: 'My heart has been burned, no one else's should be burned'. Until now, there were some who did not believe in peace, but after this step taken by Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, they should believe and hope. My hope is that the bloodshed will stop.” 

 

'STEP TO BE TAKEN BY STATE MUST BE BIGGER'

 

Emine Çağırga, the mother of Cemile Çağırga, who was murdered while playing in front of her house in Cizîr and whose body was kept in a refrigerator for 10 days because her family was not allowed to bury her due to bans, said it was the state's turn to take steps. Emine Çağırga said, “Not only Abdullah Öcalan, but all peoples should embrace this call because there is nothing more beautiful than the steps taken for peace. Even though Abdullah Öcalan has been imprisoned for years, they themselves went and asked for a meeting. I want to state again that this call made us very happy. Because pain and evil is not good for anyone. Although our hearts are burning, we do not want any mother to experience this pain. All mothers have one heart and none of them are different from each other. They burned, killed and imprisoned our children. We had to keep the bodies of our children in refrigerators so that they wouldn't spoil. Despite all this pain, we don't want anyone to go through this pain. A mother is one, a heart is one. We are very happy on behalf of all peoples. From now on, the AKP-MHP and CHP must also take steps. Mr. Abdullah Öcalan has fulfilled his responsibility, now it is the state's turn. The step the state will take must be even bigger than the step taken by Mr. Abdullah Öcalan. When mothers speak, everyone has to shut up."

 

'WE SAY PEACE DESPITE ALL THE PAIN'

 

Heznê Aslan, who lost her brother and two children during the curfews in Cizîr and is still looking for the body of her daughter Hacer, emphasized the importance of the call and said, "It's been 10 years, but there are still no bodies of 10-13 people, including my daughter Hacer. They were all civilians. We want to find their bones and we want them to have graves. I am 48-49 years old and we have not lived a good day since I can remember. We settled here because of the oppression we experienced in our villages. Our children were born and raised here. Even my speeches can be considered a crime. We follow on TV and hope that good things will happen. We mothers who have suffered so much and have been waiting for the funerals of our children for years want the war and the bloodshed to end. We advocate that everyone should live freely in their own land. I hope that this process will not be like the previous ones and that the state will take the right steps. I want the prisoners to be released and reunited with their families. Although our hearts are burning, we want good things to happen and we have never been pro-war."

 

MA / Ömer Erdoğan