ISTANBUL – Ikbal Eren, a member of the Saturday People who emphasize that the struggle that began at Galatasaray Square stopped enforced disappearances, highlighted their long-standing demands: to locate the graves of their loved ones and to end the policy of impunity.
Following the 1980 coup, enforced disappearances, torture, killings, village burnings, and evacuations became systematic violations, especially in Turkey and Kurdistan during the 1990s. Those who disappeared in custody remain missing, while unsolved murders with unknown perpetrators have been closed due to statutes of limitations, shielding the culprits.
The protests that started at Galatasaray Square and spread to many cities have continued for years. The Saturday Mothers/People have been demanding justice at Galatasaray Square for 1,061 weeks. Ikbal Eren, who represents the movement and attends in place of her parents, calls for truth about her brother Hayrettin Eren, who was detained and disappeared in Istanbul’s Saraçhane on November 21, 1980.
THE STRUGGLE OF EMINE OCAK
Ikbal Eren emphasized that one aim of enforced disappearances is to erase and silence the victims. She paid tribute to Emine Ocak, who recently passed away and dedicated her life to this cause: “Disappeared people were never spoken about because threats silenced the survivors. The cries that began with Emine Ocak’s son’s disappearance in 1995 challenged the state’s policy of forgetting and erasing. Emine Ocak brought enforced disappearances onto Turkey’s agenda and exposed the perpetrators’ dark side when she sat at Galatasaray Square in 1995.”
“NEITHER WEARY NOR SURRENDERED”
Ikbal Eren said the Saturday Mothers’ sit-ins helped prevent enforced disappearances and that their fight continues to ensure no other mothers suffer such losses. “We have been saying these things for 30 years. The state hasn’t listened or seen us. It even closed Galatasaray Square, our place to meet with the disappeared, where the footprints and voices of all mothers remain. This was an intimidation tactic, but we neither tired nor gave up. Emine Mother and our mothers taught us this.”
SAME DEMANDS FOR 30 YEARS
Regarding their expectations from the ongoing process, Ikbal Eren stressed that their demands have not changed for three decades; to access the graves of disappeared loved ones and to bring perpetrators to justice. “We know perpetrators are protected by a shield of impunity; this must end. The statute of limitations should be abolished. International conventions on enforced disappearances and crimes against humanity must be signed and implemented. Our demands are clear and have been voiced for 30 years.”
MA / Yeşim Tükel