Following a call by Abdullah Öcalan, the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) took a historic step in Şikefta Casenê; the Group for Peace and Democratic Society burned their weapons in a ceremony on July 11. Several politicians, representatives of civil society organizations, intellectuals, writers, and families of martyrs attended the disarmament ceremony in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). One of those present was Peace Mother Kudret Eryılmaz.
Speaking to ANF, Kudret Eryılmaz, mother of two martyrs, said that they felt both excited and emotional after hearing Abdullah Öcalan’s voice and watching his video after 26 years. “Hearing the voice of Öcalan was truly a historic moment,” she added.
Eryılmaz pointed out that Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdistan Freedom Movement took three historic steps and fulfilled their responsibility. Now, she said, the Turkish state must immediately fulfill its duty.
‘I was deeply moved when the guerrillas came down’
Kudret Eryılmaz said she found it difficult to express the emotions she felt during the disarmament ceremony: “We experienced both excitement and deep emotion. I lost two of my children for this land. I am the mother of two martyrs. One of my children fell in Kobanê, the other in Muş. Despite all the pain we have endured, I was deeply moved when we arrived there and saw the guerrillas coming down. There were seven mothers with us, and all of us had lost our children. When we saw them coming, it felt as if our children were alive and walking with us. We wanted so much to hug them, but it did not happen. This process began following Öcalan’s call. After Besê Hozat and her comrades finished their statement, they burned the weapons. At that moment, it felt as if they had thrown our hearts into that fire, because those weapons were the legacy of the martyrs. Then we thought and said: If Abdullah Öcalan made such a decision, he must have made it because it is for the good of all of us. Öcalan and the PKK took three historic steps and fulfilled their responsibility. Now it is the turn of the Turkish state. It must immediately fulfill its duty.”
‘A great opportunity for all of us’
The Peace Mother emphasized that the government’s steps would be decisive for the peaceful progress of the process and said: “Even if we fight for centuries, the end of this war will be peace. In the end, there will inevitably be peace. We believe that the hand of peace extended by Abdullah Öcalan will not be left hanging. This is a great opportunity for all of us. The state must not waste this opportunity. They must immediately fulfill the duty that falls on them. This bloodshed must stop. We, as mothers, are ready to fulfill our responsibility. We lost our children, but we support this peace process. We do not want any other mother to suffer. I call out to the authorities from here: stop this bloodshed now. I also call on the mothers of soldiers and police officers: let us become a bridge for peace together. We, mothers, have suffered the most. And despite everything, it is us who want peace the most.”
Source: ANF News
