With flowers and pictures of their missing relatives, the Saturday Mothers gathered again on the 1051st week at Istanbul's Galatasaray Square to demand justice for people who “disappeared” in state custody. This week's vigil was also held to mark the “International Weeks Against Disappearances in Custody” from May 17 to 31.

In addition to relatives of the disappeared and activists, the rally was also attended by Tuncer Bakırhan, co-chair of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), and DEM Party member of parliament Pervin Buldan.

Bakırhan said, “This issue is a bleeding wound for our country. The demands voiced by the families of the disappeared are our demands too. We have stood together and fought together for years. We will continue to fight alongside the Saturday Mothers until there is a real reckoning with this issue and the truth comes to light.”

Bakırhan emphasized that one of the prerequisites for social peace is the demands voiced by the Saturday Mothers.

“If there is to be social peace, Turkey must face this issue,” said Bakırhan, continuing: “They must open those dark archive rooms and share the truth with the public. People search for their children, want a gravestone, to write their names on it, and to say a prayer. The call for a democratic society also applies here. This is for a future where there are no more disappeared persons, no more unsolved crimes, and no more similar incidents on this land. If we can bring this process to a successful conclusion, we believe we can also fulfill the legitimate demands of our mothers. We will fight alongside all our friends, not just in Parliament but on the streets and in every sphere, for the truth to come to light and for us to confront it.”

Pervin Buldan, a member of the DEM Party İmralı Delegation, commemorated Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who lost his life on May 3, and all those who have been lost.

Buldan said: “For years, there has been a struggle to prevent disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and to bring the perpetrators to justice. Unfortunately, those who govern this country have not paid attention to these demands and have not heard the voices of the relatives of the missing. However, we are now talking about a new period, a new process, a peace process. If there is to be a truly honorable peace, it must begin with finding the disappeared and bringing the perpetrators to justice. Otherwise, peace will remain incomplete. We all long to fully experience and feel peace. Each of the relatives of the disappeared has a single demand: they want a headstone. There are no other demands. This should not be overlooked; these demands must be met as soon as possible so that peace can be achieved.”

The statement for this week’s vigil was read by Maside Ocak, sister of Hasan Ocak, who was tortured to death in police custody in 1995. She emphasized that ongoing impunity not only conceals existing human rights violations but also enables future ones. “This culture of impunity stands in the way of social reconciliation and a democratic constitutional state,” Ocak said.

Ocak pointed out that enforced disappearance is a “crime that not only affects the victims, but also traumatizes the lives of those left behind for generations.”

The protest by Saturday Mothers, which has been ongoing since 1995, reiterated its central demands:

▪ Clarification of the fate of all persons who disappeared in custody,

▪ Legal investigation through charges against those responsible,

▪ Recognition of enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity in the Turkish Penal Code,

▪ Ending impunity,

▪ Ratification and implementation of the UN Convention against Enforced Disappearance,

▪ Lifting the police blockade on Galatasaray Square.