Both the government and opposition point to parliament to create the political and legal framework for a new peace process. But when DEM Party MP Newroz Uysal Aslan proposed establishing a Truth and Justice Commission to investigate forced disappearances and unsolved murders during the "Week of the Disappeared," the motion was voted down by the AKP, MHP, and İYİ Party. Families of the disappeared and human rights activists have condemned the decision.
"The side that rejected this needs to take steps"
Aydınlar, who has been asking about her son Cüneyt's fate for 31 years, says: "They silenced Cüneyt, but our hearts keep speaking. Every night we waited with hope, thinking maybe he'd come back. But he never did. We never got to say goodbye, never got to bury him. Real peace in Turkey must begin by acknowledging this immense pain that mothers, fathers, siblings, and children have carried for years. We want peace – yes. But it has to be a complete, honest and just peace. Those who rejected this motion need to take these steps for peace."
"Can there be peace without confronting the past?"
Speaking about the renewed peace talks in Turkey, Aydınlar continued: "How can we have lasting peace without accounting for our losses or easing our pain? Justice comes through truth, not silence. We haven't forgotten. After years of searching for answers, we still hold onto some hope that justice might come. But real peace isn't possible without facing the past."
"The promise to Berfo Ana was broken"
Eren Keskin, co-chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD), noted that while the new peace process creates a positive atmosphere, "no one will stop searching for their disappeared loved ones. True democracy and peace can't happen without revealing the perpetrators."
Keskin reminded Erdoğan of his broken promise to Berfo Ana and explained that her client Cüneyt Aydınlar was "the first officially documented disappearance in this region." While most forced disappearances aren't officially recorded, Cüneyt's detention was documented.
"We learned from his friends detained in the same operation that he was brutally tortured," Keskin said. "Our investigation found he was brought to Beyoğlu in Istanbul in critical condition for a 'location identification,' taken to a construction site where gunshots were heard, and never seen again. These cases aren't just disappearances – these account for torture and murder."
During his time as Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised Berfo Kırbayır he would return the remains of her son Cemil, who disappeared after the 1980 military coup. A commission was established in 2011 and confirmed that Cemil had been tortured to death and his body hidden, but the case expired due to statute of limitations. Berfo Kırbayır died two years later without ever recovering her son's remains.
"The system must change for democracy to come"
Keskin called on Turkey to sign the UN Convention against Enforced Disappearances, explaining how the current system ensures impunity:
"Because Turkey hasn't signed the convention, they apply statutes of limitations to disappearance cases. After 20 years, prosecutors close all files regardless of evidence. This is systemic – the police who torture, the officials who kill, the prosecutors who don't investigate, the judges who acquit, the forensic doctors – they're all part of this mechanism. Without changing this system, we can't talk about democratic change."
(AB/DT)
