A conference titled ‘Truth and Justice from Plaza de Mayo to Galatasaray Square, the struggle for disappeared people while in custody’, organized by IHD and TIHV took place at the conference hall of TMMOB İstanbul Büyükkent Branch.

The conference was attended by TIHV and IHD executives, Saturday Mothers, relatives of disappeared people from Amed and Şırnak, relatives of disappeared people in Argentina as well as a large number of people.

The first speech at the conference was delivered by Elma Eren, mother of Hayrettin Eren who disappeared in custody 39 years ago.

Eren said that she has been living with an open wound for 39 years and added: “I have been looking for my son's bones for 39 years. I never forget him.”

Elma Eren underlined that the mothers want peace and justice, and added how this demand was the demand of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, in Argentine. Mothers who have been struggling for justice for 24 years, she said, can not go to Galatasaray for 37 weeks. This is in violation of the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights, she said.

The keynote speech was made by IHD Istanbul Branch Disappeared people in custody commissioner, Sebla Arcan and TIHV Secretary General Metin Bakkalcı.

Arcan said that she was honored to be with the Saturday Mothers.

On 17 May 1995, Bakkalcı reminded that the IHD and TIHV had launched a campaign against enforced disappearances.

“We have tried to be with mothers as much as we can since 1995”, said Bakkalci who added: “What is called forced disappearance is a crime against humanity. It is a torture to families. This is also an action to silence society. But you are free from all kinds of violence and you are overthrowing them. So far, we have not been able to discover the fate of all those who disappeared also because of impunity. But you have accomplished many things.”

Ceyla Deniz, daughter of Kurdish politician Ebubekir Deniz who disappeared in Silopi in 2001, Remziye Bayram, mother of Şirin Bayram who disappeared in Amed, Hanife Yıldız, mother of Murat Yıldız who disappeared while in custody, and Margarita Isabel Noia who demands to know what happened to her sister in Plaza de Mayo since 1976 all delivered speeches.

Ceylan Deniz, daughter of Ebubekir Deniz, said that she last saw her father at the age of 5 and added: “Deniz In 2001 my father came back to the house and left again. I was never going to see him again.”

Deniz added: “We will continue this struggle until the end. We will win this fight.”

Margarite Isabel Noia from Argentina said she lost her sister 43 years ago. Noia, reminded of the thousands who disappeared in Argentina in the 1970s during the military junta.”From 1976 onwards mothers began to come out. First 14 parents started the fight to find their relatives. In 1983, the junta went and a legal government came to power. We asked the government for what the military took from us. Of course we wanted our relatives to come back alive. But we also wanted the bones to be given to us and asked for our relatives remains. Every Thursday, mothers gathered in the same place and asked to know what happened to their relatives. The government did not remain silent and brought the junta to trial. But only those at the top of the coup were tried. We wanted everyone to be tried. Our struggle has yielded results, and after that 800 cases of disappearances have been filed. There was a great work of anthropologists here. Mass graves were opened and bones of some disappeared were eventually found. My mother died at the age of 94. But she couldn't recover her daughter's bones. We will continue our struggle.” 

Remziye Bayram said that her son Şirin Bayram disappeared. “In 1996, the state took my son from home. My son's been missing since then. I want my son's bones from the state.”

Stressing that they will not forgive the disappeared people, Bayram said: “I promise to my children. As long as I'm alive, I will keep looking for them. I will find out what happened to them.”

Hanife Yildiz, the mother of Murat Yildiz, who disappeared while in custody, said: “I did the worst thing a mother can do to her son, I have taught him to respect the law, yet they broke the law, they saw no respect. I apologise to my son. I have told my son he should go an explain to the police and that if there was some wrong he did he should take responsibility for it. I told him to respect the law, but they did not respect it. I never seen my son after he went there. This state owes me my son. If my child had not listened to me, he would be here now. None of what happened would have happened. We must fight together like we have been doing for years in Galatasaray.”