Members of the Diyarbakır Mothers initiative, formed by women whose children joined the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), support for the militant group's recent disarmament move. The symbolic ceremony held last week was welcomed by the mothers' group, which has long called for the return of their children.
The Diyarbakır Mothers emerged in the Kurdish-populated city in 2019, claiming their children were deceived or abducted into joining the PKK. Since then, they have held sit-ins in front of pro-Kurdish political party offices, demanding their children’s return. The initiative is widely seen as state-backed, positioned in contrast to similar pro-Kurdish groups like the Saturday Mothers and Peace Mothers.
'All mothers’ tears are the same color': Peace Mothers reflect on PKK weapon-burning ceremony
Ayşegül Biçer, one of the Diyarbakır Mothers, said, “We all want to live together in peace. As Diyarbakır Mothers, we support every step taken in this peace process, even if it costs us our lives or our property.”
Biçer, a former prospective MP candidate for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), highlighted the significance of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s open endorsement of the process following the ceremony in Iraq's Kurdistan region where weapons were symbolically burned.
“As Diyarbakır Mothers, we fully support this process and are pleased with the steps taken,” she said. “We now see the government’s actions as very positive. For the past seven years, we have said the destiny of our region should no longer be terror. I want my child to become a judge, a prosecutor, a lawyer… We want our children to hold pens instead of guns and to be able to pursue their dreams.”
Biçer said she wished her own child had been among those burning their weapons at the Sulaymaniyah ceremony. “We hope to be reunited with our children soon. I have already been reunited with mine, but other mothers still don’t know if their children are alive or dead in the mountains.
"I am doing everything I can so that the children of 384 families can return. We support this peace. We all want to live in peace, brotherhood, and harmony in Turkey.”
'Are you on the side of war or peace?'
She also expressed the Diyarbakır Mothers' interest in taking part in a parliamentary comittee expected to be established to lead efforts as part of the peace process.
“The committee is important,” she said. “But the sensitivities of the families of martyrs and veterans must not be overlooked. They have been our biggest supporters for the past seven years.”
Quoting President Erdoğan, Biçer added, “No one can insult our martyrs or their families or speak against them. I, too, try to be careful not to hurt them when I speak. Of course, we would have liked for the Diyarbakır Mothers to have a say in this commission. I believe we should have been part of that process. We want to follow everything and contribute.”
“Anyone who does not support this major step for peace, stability, and the future of Turkey does not want peace for this country,” she said. “This 47-year war must come to an end. Mothers should no longer weep. We want peace and brotherhood. We are determined. Where do you stand, on the side of war or peace?” (AB/VK)
