Despite being obstructed by the police, the Peace Mothers Council in Batman protested the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish people and expressed solidarity with the hunger strike carried out by political prisoners in Turkey.
The Council of Peace Mothers protested in Batman against the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and the violations of rights in Turkish prisons. Despite police obstruction, a declaration of solidarity with the political prisoners on hunger strike was made. HDP MPs Feleknas Uca and Ayşe Acar Başaran and DBP chairman Saliha Aydeniz joined the action.
The park was besieged by police which surrounded the Peace Mothers and their supporters on the grounds that the meeting had not been permitted. The women protested with the slogans ‘Bijî berxwedana zindanan’ (Long live the prison resistance), ‘Deniz Poyraz is immortal’, ‘Jin jiyan azadî’ (women, life, freedom) and ‘Bijî aşitî’ (Long live peace).
In a speech, DBP chairwoman Saliha Aydeniz underlined the hunger strike that political prisoners have been carrying out since November 27. "The fact that a large contingent of police was used to prevent a press release on the subject can only be explained by the fear that the state has of the mothers with the white headscarves and their message of peace," she said.
Speaking on behalf of the Peace Mothers' Council, Meyase Akdağ, said that their demand for freedom, peace and equality had been ignored for years. "We are here today to support the hunger strike against the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and the conditions of his detention. We don’t want any prisoner to die. For this we say: enough! It is enough with the isolation of the Kurdish people and the hostility against them. As mothers, we will continue to fight for these crimes to stop and democracy to come. We will resist every day."
