PEACE MOTHERS

For many years there has been a low intensity war in a part of Turkey. During those years state of
emergency has been declared, thousands of villages have been discharged and more than 40.000
people, both Turkish and Kurdish, have died. This conflict coming until today caused pain and death
of both Turkish and Kurdish children. Initiative of the Peace Mothers has been composed by 15
Kurdish, Turkish and Georgian mothers in 1999 to end the pains and provide a permanent peace who
are aggrieved because of the conflict. Initiative who carry outs its activities under the umbrella of
Peace Magazine has opened branches in Diyarbakir in 2001, in Van in 2004, in Hakkari and Yuksekova
in 2005. Members of the Initiative have endeavoured for the peace environment with press releases,
hunger strikes, sit-in acts, petitions and by going to the conflict regions as human shields. Initiative of
the Peace Mothers continues its activities without sacrificing their peaceable statements despite all
of the constraints in Diyarbakir, Istanbul, Van, Izmir, Yuksekova, Siirt, Cizre, Sirnak and Nusaybin

Members of Initiative of the Peace Mothers hold a banner saying - Stop the Weapons, Let the Parties Talk.

Mesopotamia Association of Solidarity with Families Who Lost Their Friends and Relatives (Meya-der) arranges a walk with the slogan of -Families Who Lost Their Kids In The War March To Diyarbakir For The Solution With Dialogue To Kurdish Question-. Thousands of people coming from different regions of Turkey, carry photographs of their relatives and friends who died during the battles.

Peace Mothers made statements to press and public several times to express their reactions against the anti-democratical applications in Turkey.

Peace Mothers wear white muslin as a symbol of peace in their protests.

Peace Mothers took part as a human shield in the action of – Walk for Democratical Solution against Operations – at the Kasrik Bosphorus which is located in between the Cudi and Gabbar Mountains.

Reporter from Dicle News Agency interviews with one of the mothers during the sit down strike.

Martyr mothers and a mother of a guerilla who lost her son during a battle hugs each other in a meeting which is organized by Emergency State Veterans, Solidarity with Martyr Families Association and Meya-Der.

According to the reports of Human Rights Association and Turkey Human Rights Foundation, 5800 people died in unidentified murders, 5000 people died in extrajudicial executions, 40.000 people died in battles, 4500 villages have been discharged, 350.000 people have been taken into custody, 54.000 people have been arrested and 24.200 people have been agonized between 1990-2008.

Around 60 mothers who are members of the Initiative of the Peace Mothers are on their way to Ankara to gather for another solution attempt to Kurdish question.

Families carry photographs of their relatives and friends who died in the battles during the walk arranged by Mesopotamia Association of Solidarity with Families Who Lost Their Friends and Relatives (Meya-der) with the slogan of -Families Who Lost Their Kids In The War March To Diyarbakir For The Solution With Dialogue To Kurdish Question.

Hanim Pence and her granddaughter Sema go to visit her sons cemetery in Yenikoy.

Peace Mothers wait for the funeral of Ergin Ekinci at the morgue of Diyarbakir Public Hospital. Ergin Ekinci lost his life in the battle at the Dargecit, Mardin.

Dilsad Ozgen dedicated a part of her house for her relatives who lost their lives at the incidents around the region during the last 20 years. Her son Mefayil died in 1991 and the other son Ferdi died in 1997 during the battles. Her husband Fikri has been gotten into a car by force in 1996 and she didnt receive any news from him since then.

Halise Kaya actively participates in the Initiative of the Peace Mothers since it has been founded. Her son Nisbeh Kaya has been sentenced to imprisonment for 36 years because of membership of illegal group. He is in prison since 1992.

3 day sit down strike for - Democratical Solution to Kurdish Question – in the tents at Batikent Square.

Nezahat Teke and her son Tirej have breakfast at the Initiative of the Peace Mothers office. Nezahats daughter Nesrin has set herself on fire and lost her life in 2000.

The Initiative of the Peace Mothers performed sit down strike in different towns of Diyarbakir every wednesday for 3 weeks. They carried banners saying - Stop the weapons, Let The Parties Talk, No More Deaths.

Peace Mothers at a stopover in Gaziantep. They are going to Ankara from Diyarbakır to convey their peace requests. Peace Mothers coming from Istanbul, Izmir, Diyarbakir, Van, Siirt, Hakkari wanted to make a press statement in front of Presidency of General Stuff but because of police disallowance they performed a sit down strike at Kizilay Square.

Thousands of people lost their lives in unidentified murders during the 30 year war in the east and southeast of Turkey.

Families wait in front of the Diyarbakir 6th Aggravated Felony Court during the judgment of Colonel Cemal Temizoz about the unidentified murders commited between 1993-1995 in Sirnak.

Peace Mothers visit Remziye Ates at the hospital. Remziye Ates is another Peace Mother, who is struck with paralysis.

Zeliha Turgut holding her sons, Metin Turguts portrait goes to Sirnak with the other mothers to get Metins funeral. Funerals of PKK members who died in the battles in Sirnak since 2004 are not given to their families because of various excuses. Metin Turgut has lost his life in a battle on 5 April 2007 in Besta rural of Sirnak. 9 December 2007

Hanim Pence visits her sons, Ishaks cemetery. Hanims son Ishak and her grandson Sirac died in 1993 and her other son Huseyin died in 1994 during the battles. Only Ishaks funeral is found.