Marking 30 years of their resistance at Galatasaray Square as of May 27, the Saturday Mothers/People are known for demanding justice for their loved ones who were forcibly disappeared during the 1980s and 1990s.
An unnamed street artist made the Saturday Mothers/People and their struggle visible through a mural on the wall of Galatasaray Square.
In a post shared on social media, families of the disappeared stated: “On the 30th anniversary of our arrival at Galatasaray Square, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the street artist who saluted the Saturday Mothers with their meaningful work just beside the square.”
The artist’s intervention has been interpreted as a message of solidarity against the years-long police repression, protest bans, and the barricading of the area surrounding Galatasaray Square.
Constitutional Court rulings still not enforced
The Saturday Mothers/People began their peaceful gatherings at Galatasaray Square on May 27, 1995, calling for investigations into the fate and whereabouts of hundreds who were forcibly disappeared or killed after the 1980 military coup and during the 1990s state of emergency.
Most of the alleged perpetrators, said to have been part of the state’s security apparatus or paramilitary groups, escaped justice due to the expiration of the 30-year statute of limitations. In the few cases that went to court, suspects were acquitted.
Since August 2018, Galatasaray Square has been surrounded by metal barricades, and armed police have maintained a continuous presence. Two Constitutional Court rulings in 2022 and 2023 found that the applicants’ right to peaceful assembly had been violated and ordered the state to prevent further violations, but these rulings remain unenforced.
Between April and November 2023, attempts by the Saturday Mothers/People to gather at the square in line with these binding rulings were met with violent police interventions, and group members were detained. Although police interventions and detentions have ceased since November 2023, authorities have arbitrarily limited participation in the group’s weekly protests in front of the metal barricades to just 10 people.
(TY/DT)
