Protest against PKK terror group continues in southeastern Turkey

Families whose children have been abducted or forcibly recruited by the PKK terror group continued their protest in southeastern Turkey on Sunday.

Since Sept. 3, 2019, families have been camped for 762 days outside the Diyarbakır offices of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a party the Turkish government says has links with the PKK.

Demonstrations have since spread to other provinces including Van, Muş, Şırnak, and Hakkari.

Necibe Çiftçi came from Hakkari's Şemdinli district to join the protest, hoping to get back her son Rosat, who was abducted by the terror group six years ago at the age of 16.

She said the PKK also murdered her elder son and husband Sami Çiftçi because they refused to support the terrorist organization.

"My son, the HDP deceived you and handed you over to the PKK. Come back now, enough is enough," she said.

Yusuf Erdinç, another protester, said he was at the sit-in for his son Mikail.

The family has had no contact with Mikail since 2015, when he vanished while studying law at the Marmara University.

"I went to the HDP headquarters with my wife. The beat us and pushed us down the stairs," said Erdinç, who hails from Van's Gürpınar district.

"Since 2015, I have refused to give up hope of seeing my son again, and I don't intend to give up now," he added, urging Mikail to surrender to Turkish security forces.

In Turkey, offenders linked to terrorist groups are eligible for possible sentence reductions under a repentance law, if they surrender.