Saturday Mothers gather at Galatasaray Square for their 1000th week: 'Find and prosecute the perpetrators of our missing loved ones!'

The Saturday Mothers began gathering in the square, where police barricades were removed after six years, placing photographs of those who were murdered or disappeared in custody on a black cloth. The police blockade at Galatasaray Square was lifted for the first time in 300 weeks. Citizens sent the message: "Our honorable struggle will continue. Find and prosecute the perpetrators of our missing loved ones."

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Saturday Mothers gather at Galatasaray Square for their 1000th week: 'Find and prosecute the perpetrators of our missing loved ones!'

12punto.com.tr

The Saturday Mothers began gathering at Galatasaray Square for the 1000th week of their search for justice for their lost and murdered relatives.

The police blockade at Galatasaray Square was lifted for the first time in 300 weeks.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Sebla Arcan stated that deep wounds have been opened in their hearts and that they are experiencing the indescribable pain of not even being able to possess the graves of their loved ones.

Arcan noted that all that remains of the missing are their names and the photographs held in their laps, saying, "For 1000 weeks, we have been gathering at Galatasaray Square with an ache that never subsides and, at the same time, with a hope that never ends."

CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik expressed that the Saturday Mothers' movement is a search for justice.

'BANS MUST END'

Claiming that this group has faced bans and interventions despite Constitutional Court rulings, Çelik said, "Therefore, we would like to state both from here that we stand with the Saturday Mothers in their search for justice, and that we want these bans to end as soon as possible so that they can carry out their actions."

DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, CHP Diyarbakır MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu, and several other DEM Party MPs also attended the demonstration.

THEY LAID 'CARNATIONS'

At the same time, carnations were laid around the cloth.

A citizen named Zübeyde Tepe said, "We will not give up on Galatasaray Square. We want the murderers of our children."

WHO ARE THE SATURDAY MOTHERS?

The Saturday Mothers are a community that has been organizing sit-in protests at Galatasaray Square every Saturday since May 27, 1995, seeking their relatives who disappeared in custody and the perpetrators of unsolved political murders.

News Source: 12punto