Protests throughout Turkey have continued since yesterday, when Onur Gencer, a man who fought with Turkey’s affiliated gangs in Syria and reportedly a supporter of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a junior coalition member of the Turkish government, walked into the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP’s) office in Izmir and shot and killed Deniz Poyraz, a Kurdish woman who was a member and a worker of the HDP in cold blood as she ate her breakfast.
As Deniz Poyraz’s funeral is expected on 18 June in the Kadifekale Mosque, her family accepted condolence visits at their home in the Ballıkuyu district of Kadifekale, a predominantly Kurdish residental area of Izmir on Thursday evening, Jin News reported.
HDP İzmir Provincial Director, Rahime Turan visiting the family said, “Deniz is neither the first nor the last martyrs, there are thousands of Deniz”
Deniz’s mother, Fehime Poyraz, pointed out that Onur Gencer, who murdered Deniz, belonged to a ‘specially trained paramilitary force’, while father Abdülillah Poyraz called for the unity of all Kurds.
”I did not bow down in front of the enemy. They shot my daughter. It is a special team that they trained,” Fehime Poyraz said.
“All the police officials who were waiting there could not do anything to stop this slaughter. They sent us home, but our people are waiting there (at Bayrakli Courthouse),” she added.
Fehime Poyraz stated that despite this pain, she feels strong and stressed that she will “not bow down”.
“My daughter also joined the path of martyrs. Ten thousand police came, I did not bow my head in front of one of them. I am the mother of those in prison, I am the mother of all martyrs now. We will not abandon the path of our children,” she said.
Abdülillah Poyraz called on all the Kurds to “unite”, stressing that her daughter was the daughter of the Kurdish people.
“I know, Deniz will be neither the first nor the last. The most important thing is for us to do is that we stand together,” he said.
He added: ”Deniz is not only my daughter, but the daughter of the people of Kurdistan. ‘The people in the mountains are also my children. Our Leadership [refers to Abdullah Öcalan] has been in prison for 22 years, so whatever price we pay is not enough to pay our debt to these people.”
“My daughter is no better than Sêvê Demir, Pakize Nayır. They were too martyred. Lokman Birlik was dragged behind the panzer. Mehmet Tunc. was martyred. There are thousands of Denizs.”
