Hasan Ocak was a political activist.

He had participated in the rebellion in the district of Gazi (Istanbul) in 1995. It was after this uprising, on 21st of March, that Hasan was kidnapped by political police. Five days later, after being severely tortured, he was murdered by being strangled with a wire. He joined the list of people who went missing while in custody. As a result of a mighty struggle that was led by his friends, comrades and family and by the relatives of other people missing in custody, Hasan’s body was recovered on 19th of May 1995.

Maside Ocak says of the 18 years without her brother: “This is a period of time which was both very long and as quick as a few seconds.”

“We are here at the graveside of my brother - she says - with those and for those with whom we have become comrades in this struggle for 16 years and stood side by side at Galatasaray Square”, says Maside Ocak and tells her feelings as follows; “This is a very different and weird feeling. It is a shame of the state and its governors, not ours, if people consider themselves fortunate for having a grave in this country. For the last 16 years along which we have tried to have a grave for all our disappeared relatives, we try to tell their fault to their face and express them that we no more want to feel fortunate for having a grave for our children. We want to leave flowers on the graves of other disappeared people too.”

Maside Ocak tells that they can’t accurately suffer for their relatives even at their graveside and reminds the relatives of the disappeared people who don’t even have a gravestone. “We live the pain of our relatives here, at their graveside while on the other hand millions of times rewording our wishes that other beloved of us could also have a graveside”, adds sister Ocak.