Riha - The sit-in protest held in front of the Urfa Courthouse by Emine Şenyaşar, whose husband and two sons were murdered in the attack carried out by the relatives and bodyguards of AKP Urfa MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız in the Suruç (Kurdish: Pirsûs) district of Urfa province on June 14, 2018, and her son Ferit Şenyaşar continues on its 689th day. Today, women co-mayors of the municipalities run by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Mardin province visited Emine Şenyaşar and her son Ferit Şenyaşar, who came in front of the courthouse in the morning to hold their protest.

Those who visited the Şenyaşar family were: Mardin Metropolitan Municipality Co-mayor Figen Altındağ, Nisêbîn (Turkish: Nusaybin) Municipality Co-mayor Semire Nergiz, Qoser (Turkish: Kızıltepe) Municipality Co-mayor Nilüfer Elik, Derîk (Turkish: Derik) Municipality Co-mayor Mülkiye Esmez, Stewrê (Turkish: Savur) Municipality Co-mayor Gulistan Öncü, HDP’s municipal council member Renas Aburşu, Mevlüde Çelebi, board member of the HDP’s Local Administrations, the members of the HDP Riha (Urfa) office, the Free Women’s Movement (Kurdish: Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA) and Riha Peace Mothers’ Initiative.   

‘This persecution and pain must end now’

Figen Altındağ made a speech saying, “We visit mother Emine to stand against this persecution and the massacre. Stop playing ostrich. We stand by the Şenyaşar family to relieve their pain and we know that everyone in society stands by mother Emine against this persecution. That’s why we stand by each other. This persecution and pain must end now. Let’s be the voice of mother Emine’s resistance.”

‘Release my son’

Recalling that her son Fadıl Şenyaşar has been kept in a solitary cell for five years, Emine Şenyaşar demands those who committed the massacre at the hospital be punished. “The authorities should find the murderers and the records of security cameras of the hospital. Release my son.”