Amid the increasing pressure on the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, reports of human rights violations targeting Kurdish people living in Turkey continue unabated. Adalet Çay, a peace mother who is living in Turkey’s southeastern province of Urfa (Riha) was sentenced to house arrest and electronic shackles have now been placed around her ankles.
During house raids on 6 October 2020, 12 people, 4 of whom were peace mothers, were detained on charges of “terrorism”. The court sentenced Adalet Çay, a peace mother we were among those detained, to house arrest.
The peace mother who has not been able to take a step outside her home for five months, now has been forced to wear electronic shackles. Adalet Çay shared her views on her house arrest with Jin News.
‘They can not intimidate us with shackles’
Çay stated that the Turkish state tries to create an atmosphere of “fear” with the decisions of house arrests.
“We are not afraid of their shackles. They can not intimidate us by forcibly placing electronic shackles on our ankles,” Çay said.
The mothers all suffer from the same pain, she noted. ” As mothers, we want the war to end. We know that you cannot wash away blood with more blood,” she said.
“The shackles disturb me physically and mentally’
Despite the various illnesses she has to receive medical treatment for, peace mother Çay has not been able to visit any doctor due to the house arrest.
“I have asthma, bronchitis and blood pressure problems. I have to visit the hospital regulary to get treatment for all these diseases, but the court did not take that into consideration,” she said.
As well as this, she has to deal with additional health problems caused by the electronic shackles. “Since I carry these shackles with me walking around the home, my ankle gets blistered and my foot swells up. I want to meet with my friends, go outside, have a walk, but I can’t do any of these. I am disturbed by the shackle physically and mentally facing all these problems,” the peace mother said.