Protests by relatives of the disappeared, known as the Saturday Mothers, which began in the 1990s in the Galatasaray Square in Istanbul, are spreading to towns throughout Kurdistan.

Following protests in Amed, Batman, Cizre and Yüksekova relatives of the missing will now hold a protest in the town of Şemdinli in Hakkari province every Saturday.

A commission established by the Diyarbakır and Hakkari branches of the Human Rights Association (İHD) to investigate the fate of those who disappeared in custody in the 1990s in the Hakkari region, has begun work in Şemdinli district. Commission spokesperson, İHD Diyarbakır Branch executive Necibe Güneş Perinçek, held a meeting at the BDP Şemdinli branch office with representatives of the İHD in Hakkari and Şemdinli and families of the missing, at which she explained the work of the Human Rights Association.

Necibe Güneş Perinçek said they would continue to investigate the "unsolved murders" and disappearances in the region, adding: "From next week we will stage a Saturday Mothers' sit down protest with relatives of the disappeared in Şemdinli every week. We expect the families of all those who were victims of 'unknown' killers and those who disappeared in custody, as well as the people of Şemdinli, to support this protest."