As the indefinite nonalternating hunger strikes demanding an end to the isolation imposed upon Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan continue, the families of prisoners also continue their struggle on the outside. The mothers are attacked every day by the Turkish police but they don’t give up. The sit-in in front of the Gebze Closed Women’s Prison by prisoners’ mothers spread to Amed and several other cities. Two of the mothers who have been holding a sit-in in front of the Gebze Prison for 31 days, Sultan Bozkurt and Hatice Soyler, spoke to the ANF.

Sultan Bozkurt is the mother of Newroz Bozkurt, who was sentenced to life in prison for her support for the Kurdish Freedom Movement and has been in prison for 21 years. The mother who is from Kiziltepe, Mardin spoke about their protest of 31 days in front of the Gebze Prison and said the police constantly threatens and batters them: “I am not afraid of their threats, because what I do is act with the emotions of a mother. I never did anything but my act in line with my maternal feelings. In my mind there are no bans, because mothers cannot be banned. I recognize no bans. I am doing this for my child.”

WE NEED COURAGE TO BREAK THE ISOLATION

Bozkurt said they haven’t received enough support from the public against the police pressure: “The Turkish state wouldn’t understand us, but why doesn’t the Kurdish people? Why did they leave us alone at prison gates? Our children are not in there for us. They are in prison for the Kurdish people, for all the oppressed.

The isolation isn’t just against Ocalan, it is against all Kurds. We need courage to break the isolation.” Bozkurt repeated her call of 31 days and asked the Kurdish people to break the silence and stand with them en masse.

FEAR WILL NOT DO ANY GOOD

“They should hear our cries and stand with us. Let’s break this isolation,” said Bozkurt and continued: “Enough already! Fear will not do us any good, the sooner we leave it the better. We haven’t seen much support from democrats, writers or intellectuals. We had expectations, it didn’t work out. We called on the world. I am calling on Tayyip Erdogan: If you say you are the president of Turkey, you must hear our voice. If you say heaven is at the bottom of mothers’ feet, you must hear our voice. Our gift on mothers’ day would be our children. If the isolation doesn’t end, our children will come out in coffins and then you will be held to account.”

COLOR OF OUR TEARS CAN’T BE DIFFERENT

Hatice Soyler, the mother of Ozlem Soyler who has been on a hunger strike since December 16 in the Gebze Prison, said they have been protesting in front of the Gebze Women’s Closed Prison for 31 days. “Our children’s demands are our demands, we stand with them,” said Soyler and added: “7.000 of our children are on hunger strikes. The isolation is against all the Kurdish people, not just Ocalan. I am calling on the Kurdish people, we are mothers, our pain is the same.”