The Peace Mothers Assembly has announced its support for imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s recent appeal for peace, and called on the Turkish government to respond by taking concrete steps to end the war. The group, made up of women who have lost children in the decades-long conflict, stressed that a unilateral ceasefire was not enough and urged both sides to silence their weapons.
Öcalan, who has been imprisoned in near-total isolation for 26 years, issued a landmark appeal on 27 February, calling on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disarm and disband as part of a democratic solution to the Kurdish question. In response, the PKK declared a ceasefire from 1 March and said it would not carry out armed action unless attacked. The Peace Mothers warned that unless the government takes steps towards peace, the war will continue and more lives will be lost.
The Peace Mothers Assembly is a grassroots movement of women who have lost children in the ongoing conflict. They have been campaigning for years for an end to violence, dialogue and reconciliation. Their calls for peace have often been met with state repression, but the group has continued to mobilise, insisting that no more families should suffer the consequences of war.
In Urfa (Riha), Peace Mothers gathered in front of the provincial office of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party and called for an end to the war. Adalet Çay said: “We stand behind Öcalan’s call. The state must take steps. No more young people should die. No more mothers should cry.” Meyaser Korkmaz urged the mothers of soldiers to speak out, stressing that both sides were suffering from the war.
In Diyarbakır (Amed), Peace Mothers gathered at their office. Speaker Havva Kıran said: “It is not enough for one side to stop the war, both sides have to silence their weapons. From Rojava [Kurdish-led North and East Syria] to Başur [Iraqi Kurdistan], the war must end everywhere.” She called on the Turkish state to show a real commitment to peace, saying that arrests, killings and the appointment of trustees contradict the idea of a peace process.
In Mersin, Peace Mothers held a press conference at the DEM Party’s district office together with DEM deputy Perihan Koca. During the event, a mother handed over a bouquet of carnations with a note to the mothers of soldiers and police officers extending a hand of peace. Emine Eren said: “We want peace. No mother – Kurdish, Turkish or any other – should have to shed tears.”
The Peace Mothers Assembly, speaking from different cities, reiterated its support for Öcalan’s call, stressed that a unilateral ceasefire was not enough and urged the Turkish government to take steps towards a real peace process.
