Emine Şenyaşar will resume her Justice Vigil for her murdered family members after the promises made by the Turkish Ministry of Justice to provide her with justice have not been kept. "The government only made its concessions after years of fighting for justice and against the suppression of our demands had already passed," Şenyaşar's son, DEM MP Ferit Şenyaşar, told the media representatives in parliament on Monday, meaning that unjust conditions and peaceful protests against them are not being heard.

Emine Şenyaşar is the widow of Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar and mother of their sons Celal and Adil. The three men were victims of lynching attacks carried out by armed bodyguards and relatives of AKP politician Ibrahim Halil Yıldız in the district of Suruç in Urfa a few days before the parliamentary and presidential elections in June 2018. The Turkish judicial authorities showed no interest in completely solving the murders. Yıldız and the majority of his mafia gang still enjoy a life of freedom today, and only one of two dozen attackers has been convicted so far. Albeit to a symbolic sentence of 18 years, only two thirds of which he has to serve.

In contrast, Fadıl Şenyaşar, a survivor, was sentenced to almost 38 years in prison for killing an attacker. This was despite the fact that it was proven relatively quickly that the man was killed by his own people. To demand the punishment of her family members' murderers and the release of her son, Emine Şenyaşar initiated a vigil in front of the Palace of Justice in Urfa in March 2021, which she ended on her 846th day - but only to move it to the Ministry of Justice in Ankara. 49 days later, government representatives agreed to meet with Şenyaşar and assured her that they would make amends for the injustice done to the family. "The Minister of Justice and his representatives said that they were aware that they had treated us unfairly. They told us that we had to be patient," said Ferit Şenyaşar. Now, after five months of waiting without any progress, his mother has decided to resume her action.

One of the reasons why the decision to resume the justice vigil has now been taken is that Fadıl Şenyaşar is being subjected to repression in prison. His right to telephone contact has been restricted by the prison authorities without any reason being given. Instead of once a week, he is only allowed to call his relatives every 14 days. "The justice that my mother is seeking with her action applies to us all. That's why she's fighting, and that's why we're fighting. To bring justice to all the people who need it." Emine Şenyaşar is set to start her protest today - by breaking the fast together with her son Ferit in front of the Ministry of Justice.