Mother of soldier killed in Hakkari speaks out against the war
Mother of soldier killed in Hakkari speaks out against the war
DIHA news agency today published an interesting report on Husnucemal Saydam, mother of soldier Mutlu Saydam, one of the 11 soldiers killed in Hakkari as a result of the attack carried out by PKK guerrillas last weekend. The grieving mother criticized both the military and the government. “Saying ‘Long live our homeland’ - she said - doesn’t work for a mother who lost his boy on duty. The army sent him to the mountains as part of a commando after 15 days of military training. How could be possible to make a boy ready for such operations in 15 day. I sent him alive and I got him back home in a coffin. ”
Mutlu Saydam was one of 11 killed soldiers in Hakkari. His body was brought to his home in Arifiye district of Sakarya. Saydam family did not accept a military funeral and allow organized people from all around Sakarya to participate at the cerimony.
Saydam family is one of the many forced to migrate. Internal refugees, they moved out from Mus and arrived in Sakarya some 20 years ago. Their son 21 year-old Mutlu Saydam was first training in Sivas before being sent to Hakkari. He has been killed just 59 days before his discharged from military.
Mother Husnucemal asked authorities during the funeral: “Why any of commander, minister or rich people’s sons are not dying. All martyrs are from poor or Kurdish families. They are putting our children in danger. My son was so young and he had never seen a gun in his life. I do not want to say ‘Long live the homeland’ because it doesn’t help to relieve my pain.”
Mutlu Saydam’s brother Nazmi Saydam also criticized the authorities saying: “We want everybody to live in good conditions and without being forced to kill or been killed. Those who benefit from the ongoing war don’t allow us to live together, in peace. We do not want anybody to die. We do not want to be forced to say, ‘I’m happy because I’m Turk’. I’m calling to the military and government to end this war as soon as possible and before more deaths occurred.”
Mutlu Saydam was one of 11 killed soldiers in Hakkari. His body was brought to his home in Arifiye district of Sakarya. Saydam family did not accept a military funeral and allow organized people from all around Sakarya to participate at the cerimony.
Saydam family is one of the many forced to migrate. Internal refugees, they moved out from Mus and arrived in Sakarya some 20 years ago. Their son 21 year-old Mutlu Saydam was first training in Sivas before being sent to Hakkari. He has been killed just 59 days before his discharged from military.
Mother Husnucemal asked authorities during the funeral: “Why any of commander, minister or rich people’s sons are not dying. All martyrs are from poor or Kurdish families. They are putting our children in danger. My son was so young and he had never seen a gun in his life. I do not want to say ‘Long live the homeland’ because it doesn’t help to relieve my pain.”
Mutlu Saydam’s brother Nazmi Saydam also criticized the authorities saying: “We want everybody to live in good conditions and without being forced to kill or been killed. Those who benefit from the ongoing war don’t allow us to live together, in peace. We do not want anybody to die. We do not want to be forced to say, ‘I’m happy because I’m Turk’. I’m calling to the military and government to end this war as soon as possible and before more deaths occurred.”
