BATMAN - Commenting on the isolation and the ongoing hunger strikes on its 228th day, members of the Peace Mothers Council and Initiative emphasized that they are insistent on the demand for peace and called for the isolation to end as soon as possible.

 

Under the leading of the Batman Peace Mothers Council, a mass press release was held in Batman on July 10 demanding an end to the isolation on PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and to give voice to the hunger strikes that continue in prisons alternately every five days. While the Peace Mothers Councils and Initiatives in the region and in Turkey participated in the statement, the Peace Mothers gave information that they would continue their actions and activities on the subject in the cities where they are located.

 

The Peace Mothers, who came together in Batman, evaluated the hunger strike that will continue alternately every 15 days on July 14 and the isolation.

 

‘Let state heed to our voices and lift the isolation’

 

Maşallah Işık, one of the Peace Mothers, who came to Batman from Siirt to attend the press release, drew attention to the hunger strikes and noted that the prisoners continued the hunger strike not for themselves, but for the freedom of the Kurdish people. Maşallah said: ‘’Everybody should lay claim to it, raise their voice. Because we are mothers, our hearts are burning, we are trying to raise our voices. We do not want any mother's heart to burn. If the isolation is lifted, there will be no funerals in prisons, and the hearts of mothers will not be hurt. When our children are in prison, we cannot rest our heads on the pillow. There is a prison inside the prison. They are hungry, they are thirsty. Let's listen to the voices of mothers. We do not want anyone to get hurt. No death. Let state heed to our voice and lift the isolation.’’

 

‘Attacking all people who raise their heads’

 

Tayibet Tekin, a member of the Siirt Peace Mothers Council, stated that the prisoners in the prison remained in difficult conditions, and that the prisoners were exposed to violations of their rights and that they talked to the prison administration as families, but nothing changed. Tayibet said: ‘’When I called the prison, I said ‘Our children are already in your hands. Fear God, give them clean water’. My son went to prison at the age of 15, he has been in prison for 27 years. They torture. They laid their bodies to die. Let the isolation on them be lifted, mothers' hearts are burning. Sleep is forbidden to us, we think about prison all the time. We do not accept isolation, enough is enough. We want peace. Let the state do humanity, let Erdoğan take off his hat and think. You attack all the people who raise their heads. We do not want bloodshed.’’

 

‘The state is torturing step by step’

 

Fatma Kaya, a member of the Siirt Peace Mothers Council, said that her two children have been in prison for years, and that one of her children has been held in prison by the Iraqi government for 11 years, and that she does not even know which prison her other son is in. Fatma stated that they wanted peace and that they came to Batman for this and said: ‘’Our hearts are burning. We are the Mother of Peace, we want peace. The state is arresting us when it should be protecting us. I only have one salary, I take half for myself, and I send half to my son. The state tortures step by step. We demand the release of political prisoners.’’

 

‘We want an honorable peace’

 

Hedle Oğur, a member of the Urfa Peace Mothers Council, also underlined that they want peace. Hedle said: ‘’We said, ‘Today, tomorrow the hunger strike will end,' it is not over. Now the demands of the prisons should be heard and their rights should be given. They laid their bodies to die. A hunger strike is a slow process, not a thing that everyone can do. The process becomes seven times heavier in prison, in the hands of the enemy. End the hunger strikes immediately. We want an honorable peace.’’

 

‘They act like we have a gun’

 

Hikmiye Önel, a member of the Istanbul Peace Mothers Initiative, stated that their only demand is peace and said: ‘’They have surrounded us, they are acting like we have a gun in our hands. They want to make the strip search to a prisoner in Antalya Prison. When refuses, they him, now a prisoner is in a coma. Is that justice? We do not want this justice. The police and the soldier also have a mother. We want humanity, we want peace. Let them hear our voices. No blood should be shed, women should not die, mothers should not shed tears. Turkey is for everyone, not just Turks.’’

 

‘Let there be a platform for peace’

 

Zekiye Kaya, a member of the Van Peace Mothers Council, said: ‘’We are calling out to Erdoğan: Do not let coffins come out of prisons. Mothers, do not shed tears. We do not want death. Neither the soldiers, the police nor our children should die. Let the platform of peace be established in this country. They turned away mothers from Diyarbakır, fined them 4000 liras. The muslin of mothers means peace. Let the women be free in the country, let the peoples be free.’’

 

‘Peace is for everyone’

 

Underlining that everyone needs peace, Hanife Kaçak, another member of the Van Peace Mothers Council, said: “We do not want war, we do not want death. We want fraternity. A police is a mother's child. All mothers need to be with us. Let this country be a country of peace, justice and fraternity We are mothers even if they kill us, even if they don't. Let them prevent deaths from happening in prison.’’