Emine Şenyaşar, whose husband and two sons were murdered in an altercation with associates of an MP from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2018, was blocked by police from receiving visitors, including the Peace Mothers, during a symbolic visit to Ankara on the country’s Mothers’ Day. The incident took place outside an annex of the Justice Ministry, reflecting the state’s continued obstruction of her quest for justice.
The group included members from trade unions, pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party members and university students, and initially planned to commemorate Mother’s Day together with Şenyaşar, but were forced to relocate due to the blockade. Subsequently, Peace Mothers others from Mersin and Adana also faced police barriers and could not access the street of the ministry, leading them to start a sit-in at another street near the DEM Party’s Ankara headquarters.
“We will not leave Ankara without seeing Emine Şenyaşar,’ said Ayşegül Doğan, spokeswoman for the DEM Party, along with the Peace Mothers, who continued their sit-in for an extended period. They later greeted Şenyaşar with carnations and chants for justice.
During a statement outside the DEM Party HQ, Şenyaşar expressed her frustration over the police blockade and the ongoing injustice, saying, “The murderers of my husband and children are being protected, and for six years, my pursuit of justice has been hindered by those in power. They are also trying to kill off another of my sons, imprisoned in solitary confinement.”
Refika Akın, speaking on behalf of the Adana Peace Mothers Initiative, highlighted the symbolic importance of their action. “We wanted to stand with Emine Şenyaşar on Mother’s Day, but we were prevented from doing so due to our quest for justice. Emine Şenyaşar represents the quest for justice in this country, and we will never abandon her,” she added.
Şenyaşar family murders
On 14 June 2018, a violent dispute broke out during a pre-election visit by ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız to the Şenyasar family shop in Suruç, Şanlıurfa. This escalated and continued at Suruç state hospital where two of the brothers were taken after suffering injuries. The father, Hacı Esvet Şenyasar, and his son Adil were fatally attacked there by individuals reportedly related to the MP and their associates. The violence led to separate trials concerning the incidents at the shop and the hospital. Four years after the tragic events, the first court hearing addressing the hospital attack commenced with 14 people facing charges for murder and attempted murder.
Significantly marred by allegations of evidence tampering—including the theft of crucial hospital security footage—the integrity of the trial has been called into question. Among the accused, several are relatives of the MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız, complicating the pursuit of justice due to potential conflicts of interest and political influence.
The aftermath has seen Fadıl Şenyasar, another of Esvet’s sons, being held in solitary confinement following his conviction in relation to the shop incident. His ongoing detention has been a focal point for the family’s protests, led by Emine Şenyasar and her one remaining son Ferit, who is now a DEM Party MP. They have been campaigning vocally, first outside Şanlıurfa Courthouse, and now also in Ankara, demanding justice and the release of Fadıl, whom they claim is wrongfully imprisoned.
Despite these efforts, the process has been sluggish, with crucial evidence missing and key witnesses and suspects either not detained or released pending trial. This has left the Şenyasar family and their supporters disillusioned with the prospect of achieving justice under the current system, as they continue to face a labyrinth of legal and political hurdles.
