I would settle for even a single bone!

The light of the people of Hatay, an ancient province on the border that once shone like a bright moon and was named by Atatürk, was extinguished with the February 6 earthquake. Those who could find the bodies of their loved ones in one piece in the rubble considered themselves lucky. Those who could reach even a fragment of their relatives' bodies were grateful that they were not buried in a cemetery for the unidentified. As for those who could receive no news of their loved ones, they were willing to settle for even a single bone.

436 days have passed since the February 6 earthquake. For the families of the missing—those who could not be found in the rubble, who are officially registered as "missing," and whose status as dead or alive remains unknown—the pain is agonizing, and unfortunately, they are treated as non-existent by the State...

Let us recall; Murat Kurum, the People's Alliance candidate for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, accidentally let the sentence "130 thousand of our lives have been lost" slip during a broadcast with Candaş Tolga Işık. Yet, official records state that 53 thousand of our people lost their lives in the February 6 earthquake. The government, which cannot even record the true death toll, has not taken a single step regarding the investigation of the missing. It has condemned the families of the missing to this painful sentence;

I would settle for even a single bone!

The lights of Hatay, the ancient province that shone like a bright moon on the border, have gone out. Most of the people of Hatay who tried to build a new life in cities like Ankara, Antalya, Mersin, and Bursa after the earthquake have returned to their lands to relight the extinguished lamp of their hometown, to piece back together that mosaic formed by thousands of years of culture.

As long as no word comes from official authorities regarding their missing, the pain within them grows. According to Article 32 of the Turkish Civil Code, a person whose body cannot be reached is considered missing (gaip) so that the presumption of death can be applied. Despite 1 year having passed since the earthquake, a "declaration of disappearance" is on the agenda for the missing from whom no news has been received. In other words, the missing will be considered dead.

Hatay's elected deputy Can Atalay, even though his parliamentary status has been revoked, is working heart and soul from Silivri Prison, despite the conditions he is in, to find a remedy for the pain of the people of Hatay.

Can Atalay made a call on his X account the other day.

A CALL FOR MOBILIZATION FOR EARTHQUAKE MISSING

In his call, Atalay said, "Finding the missing people whose relatives are searching for them is our duty as a society; even if their loved ones have lost their lives, we owe them, each and every one of them, a grave."

He demanded the establishment of a research commission in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) for 147 missing persons, 37 of whom are children. The mobilization call for earthquake missing by TİP deputy Can Atalay should stir consciences. We must not leave those searching for their missing in the midst of the greatest pain in our history alone.

I sincerely believe that the CHP, which became the leading party in Turkey in the March 31 elections, will embrace Can Atalay's call for mobilization. Like the postponed Constitution Rally, the "Call for Mobilization for Earthquake Missing" should not be ignored.

To relight the light of Hatay,

Consciences must heed this call.