Aynur Taş is a mother whose one son was martyred, who has not heard from another son for ten years, and whose seriously ill brother is being held in solitary confinement. She said, “It is unbearable, but we endure,” and emphasized that she does not want any mother to lose her child or shed tears, adding that, despite everything, she still longs for peace.

Aynur Taş, who lives in Istanbul, is the sister of Serhat Karsu, a seriously ill prisoner held in Erzurum Dumlu No. 1 High Security Prison, and the mother of Mazlum Taş (Andok Farqîn), a fighter for the People's Protection Units (YPG) who was martyred in Afrin (Efrîn) in 2018. Aynur Taş spoke with ANF and said that her brother Serhat, who was sentenced to 136 years in prison, has been held alone in a solitary cell. She explained: “Serhat developed a stomach illness that affected his face. All the veins in his face turned completely black. He suffered from this illness for six years. During that time, he was neither taken to a hospital nor given any treatment. When his condition worsened, he told us, ‘I have been suffering from this for six years.’ We brought the issue to the media and applied to the Human Rights Association (IHD). After members of IHD visited him, they started taking him to the hospital. Otherwise, at the beginning, his treatment was completely prevented. One doctor even told him, ‘I will not send you to the hospital. If you are going to die, you will die here.’”

He has no teeth left

Aynur Taş said: ‘‘Although treatment has begun, Serhat has lost all his teeth due to the illness. We are currently trying to get his dental treatment. His condition related to his stomach is still very bad. It has been almost a year since Serhat began receiving treatment, but despite taking medication, he says ‘Out of fear, I cannot eat even a bite of bread. It feels as if there is a stone in my stomach.’ He is being taken to the hospital, but he is not recovering completely. We believe he needs to be seen by other doctors as well, but that would only be possible if he were outside.’’

Held in solitary confinement

Taş said: “My brother is being held in a solitary cell. Maybe he would feel better if he had a companion with him. Sometimes he says, ‘I open my eyes and can’t understand where I am. I must have blacked out and collapsed without realizing it.’ Serhat has committed no crime. His only ‘crime’ is being Kurdish. We want Serhat, and all other seriously ill prisoners, to be released.”

They also destroyed the cemetery

Aynur Taş’s son Mazlum joined the YPG in 2014 and was martyred during the Turkish state’s invasion of Afrin in 2018. Recalling that the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) tried to portray Avesta Cemetery, where his body was buried, as a mass grave, Aynur Taş continued: “I could not bring back the body of my martyred son. They also destroyed the Avesta Cemetery where he was buried. Together with 70 of his comrades, no one knows where my son’s remains were taken.”

We still endure

Taş stated: “It is not something one can bear, but we still endure. I would be content even with a single bone. If there were a grave, you could visit the stone, speak to it, pour out your heart but there is not even that. This is an inhumane treatment, but despite everything, we still call for peace. As a mother, my heart is burned. I do not want any other mother to feel this pain. I do not want any mother to cry. I do not want any mother to lose her child. I lost my child, but I do not want anyone else to suffer the same fate. I want my child’s bones.”

Taş also has no news from one of her other children

Taş said: “We have lost our children, yet we still want peace. I have not heard from one of my children for ten years. The only thing I want to say is: Peace, peace, peace…”