Makbule Özbek, the 72-year-old Peace Mother, was among the 23 people arrested in the latest political genocide operation against the Democratic Society Congress (DTK). Arrested on vague charges of “being a member of an illegal organization” Özbek is being held in a quarantine cell in prison.

Lawyers said that it is life-threatening for Özbek, who suffers from different diseases, to remain in prison also for the risks linked to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Diyarbakır Magistrate rejected the request to release the old woman.

Özbek's lawyer Gülşen Özbek said: “We are talking about a 72-year-old person who lost two children and is still fighting to prevent more people from dying. She faces trial for participating in press statements and actions demanding the end of hunger strikes. She joined these actions so that people would not continue to die. She was demanding democratic and constitutional rights. There is no crime in participating in such actions.”