On July 9, following a video message from Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, a group of 30 PKK members conducted a symbolic disarmament ceremony in Şikefta Casenê (Jasene Cave), in the Sulaymaniyah region of the Kurdistan Region. The event was witnessed by hundreds on site and millions on screen across Turkey, Kurdistan, and Europe.

 

One of those viewers was Rahime Turan, the mother of Hasan Turan (nom de guerre Seyit Rıza Omerya), who died in 2016 in the Omerya region of Mêrdîn. Having fled state pressure in the 1970s, her family resettled in İzmir and later Adana before returning. Despite continued repression, she remained committed to the struggle.

 

'STATE MUST ACT NOW'

 

She emphasized that the ceremony must be met with reciprocal steps from the Turkish state: "If there’s no peace after this disarmament, it would deeply hurt us. Poor people’s children are the ones dying—not ministers’ sons. The prisons should be opened, and the political prisoners freed. Dialogue must be established with Öcalan, and restrictions on communication with him must be lifted."

 

Rahime Turan urged society to stand behind the peace process: "All institutions must support one another. A safe path must be opened so guerrillas can return without fear. We wish our fallen children had lived to see this day."

 

‘WE WANT DIGNIFIED PEACE, NOT DECEPTION’

 

Calling for a just and lasting peace, Rahime Turan warned against manipulation: “We don’t want a peace full of deceit. Our hearts are wounded, but we still call for peace. If there's trickery in this process, no one can answer for the tears of the mothers. We will never forget our children.”

 

She also called on the families of Turkish soldiers to join the call for peace: “This pain belongs to both sides. If peace is achieved, their children won’t die either. Our children died for a cause, and we know what that cause was. All mothers should speak out wherever they are."

 

MA / Uğurcan Boztaş