During their 821st week of actions, the Saturday Mothers demanded to know the fate of the lawyer Faik Candan, who was murdered in 1994. “Kurdish blood is on the state’s hands”, they said. “The Turkish state’s eyes are blind and its ears are deaf”.
The action was carried out on digital media. Candan’s uncle said that the case was dropped though plenty of evidence was available.
Meanwhile, Missing Person’s Relatives’ were on their 619th week of action in Diyarbakır, questioning the fate of Ahmet Biçimli, who was kidnapped by Hezbollah in the Silvan district.
This week’s statement was read by Human Rights Association Diyarbakır Branch Executive, Gurbet Yavuz.
Who are the Saturday Mothers ?
The Saturday Mothers began their sit-in protests, following incidents that occurred in the Gazi neighbourhood of İstanbul in 1995, in order to find their missing (‘disappeared’) relatives. The first Saturday Mothers’ sit-in took place in front of Galatasaray High School, located on the İstiklal street of Beyoğlu district of İstanbul on 27 May 1995. Initially launched by a small group, the movement has grown over 20 years and turned into symbolic struggle for human rights defenders.
Since that time, the Saturday Mothers have gathered to peacefully protest about the disappearances of their relatives and loved ones every week. According to a report by Bianet, mothers suspended their activities due to increased oppression in 1999. They began to launch the sit-ins again after 2009.
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