Saturday Mothers demand justice for Mehmet Zeki Doğan

The Saturday Mothers, who have been searching for their relatives who were disappeared in custody, gathered at Galatasaray Square in their 1004th week to demand justice for Mehmet Zeki Doğan, who was disappeared 30 years ago in Hakkari.

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Saturday Mothers demand justice for Mehmet Zeki Doğan

The Saturday Mothers, who have been asking about the fate of their relatives disappeared in custody and protesting in Istanbul-Beyoğlu since 1995 with the demand that the perpetrators be tried, left carnations at Galatasaray Square and read their statement.

This week, the Saturday Mothers demanded justice for Mehmet Zeki Doğan.

The statement of the Saturday Mothers is as follows:

"We have not forgotten Mehmet Zeki Doğan on the 30th anniversary of his disappearance in custody.

In democracies, it is essential for the public to participate in governance in both political and administrative terms. For this reason, it is not enough to just exercise the right to vote and be elected; citizens must also participate in governance through equal and free negotiation.

That is why administrations where citizens have channels to reach and influence decision-makers are called democracies.

Generating hope from the process recently labeled as 'normalization' and introduced to the public agenda is only possible if those who govern the state turn toward the rule of law and human rights.

One cannot speak of 'normalization' without moving away from abnormal conditions where European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and Constitutional Court (AYM) decisions are not implemented, the Constitution is insufficient to protect individual rights and freedoms, and citizens cannot find an interlocutor to convey their demands to decision-makers. Because what is normal is to base state administration on human rights, the rule of law, and the demands of the citizens.

If there is talk of a 'normalization,' our demand for the full implementation of Constitutional Court decisions must first be met. The Minister of Interior, who adds new ones to the lawlessness and injustice we have been subjected to for 29 years, must stop leaving all our appointment requests unanswered."