Emine Şenyaşar’s quest for justice reached its 118th day outside the Justice Ministry in Ankara, as she continues to demand accountability for the death of her husband and two sons in 2018, and the release of her son, detained under allegations of political bias.
The protest, initiated in Kurdish-majority Şanlıurfa (Riha) and moved to the Turkish capital Ankara, reflects a deep-seated struggle against perceived injustices within the Turkish judiciary system.
“On 14 June 2018, my family was violently attacked in a state hospital in Suruç by associates of a former Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP, resulting in devastating loss,” Emine explained during the press statement. The gathering, heavily attended by politicians from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, human rights organisations and supporters, underscored the significant community backing for the Şenyaşar family’s plight.
Ferit Şenyaşar, a DEM Party MP and Emine’s son, highlighted the dual demands of the family: “The first is the retrieval and release of hospital security footage where the murders occurred, and the second is the release of another son, unjustly held in prison based on superior orders for six years,” he stated. He criticised the current government’s disregard for judicial independence and voiced a powerful condemnation of those who remain silent in the face of such injustice.
“The doors of the Justice Ministry are closed not only to my family but to everyone seeking fairness,” Emine asserted, expressing her determination to continue the protest until genuine justice is served.
Şenyaşar’s ongoing quest for justice comes as Nora Cortiñas, a leading figure in the ‘Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo’ movement, passed away on Thursday at the age of 94.
Cortiñas’ son Gustavo, a 24-year-old member of the leftist Peronist Youth group, was kidnapped by soldiers and never seen again. She described his disappearance as akin to “having an arm amputated”. She joined the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in 1977, attending their now-famous weekly marches in Plaza de Mayo, in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires.
Similarly, the Saturday Mothers, who gather in Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square, marked their 1,000th consecutive week on 24 May. The group, seeking answers regarding the disappearance of individuals during the 1980s and 1990s in Turkey, was inspired by Argentina’s Plaza Del Mayo mothers.
