The Saturday Mothers Initiative in Istanbul has gathered for the 828th time to denounce the state practice of "disappearances" and demand justice for the victims. The theme of this week’s vigil, which was held virtually due to the pandemic, was the fate of teacher Maksut Tepeli, who disappeared 37 years ago in the Gayrettepe political police department in Istanbul.

Speaking at the digital vigil, his wife Şehriban Tepeli said, "When my husband was arrested, my daughter was two and a half years old. Now she is 39 and still waiting for her father to come back. I also have grandchildren; they are also waiting. We know that my husband would not come back. However, I would like to know the place of his grave so I can show it to my grandchildren and daughter. Nothing would be more natural and human. We are looking for people we love more than our own lives. What we want is a little empathy."

Detained in wounded state

The Tepeli family is legally represented by Gülseren Yoleri, the chairwoman of the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD). The lawyer stated that Tepeli was injured when he was arrested. However, he was not taken to the hospital, but to the political police, according to Yoleri: "He was tortured during interrogation. When his condition deteriorated, he was taken to Haydarpara Hospital. Since then, there has been no trace of him. His wife had to leave the country with their child because she was wanted. She did not receive any information about Maksut until 2003. When she returned to Turkey, she found that she was registered as a widow. She filed a complaint with the Kadiköy public prosecutor's office. The prosecutor's office wrote to many authorities, but they kept Maksut's fate secret for three years. In 2006, information came that Maksut had died in the hospital. His family wanted to know where his grave was, but the prosecutor's office stopped the proceedings. All appeals against it were rejected. This was followed by an application to the Constitutional Court. When no ruling was issued there, the case was taken to the European Court of Human Rights. The case is still pending."

"No forgiving, no forgetting"

Afterwards, Hepgül Bozoğlu read a statement on behalf of the Saturday Mothers, pointing out that the legal fight often fails because of the statute of limitations. Proceedings are dragged out until the final deadline has passed. "In international law, crimes against humanity do not have a statute of limitations. Public workers who incite, participate in, or tolerate crimes against humanity cannot escape conviction through the statute of limitations. For a quarter of a century, we have been shouting with our struggle, which has been passed down from generation to generation: We do not forget, we do not forgive, we do not give up,” Bozoğlu said.