AMED - Aynur Ayşin, who saw her father taken into custody for the last time when she was only 24 years old, has been searching for her father for 30 years, and Remziye Bayram has been searching for her son for 28 years.
The families of those who were detained in the 90s, one of Turkey's darkest periods, and were never heard from again, have been searching for their missing people for years. In the 90s, when the tendency to solve the Kurdish issue with violence began, the fate of those who were massacred, kidnapped or disappeared in custody was constantly asked to the authorities by their relatives, but all questions were left unanswered. Relatives of the disappeared and the Human Rights Association (İHD) have been organizing various meetings for the disappeared and asking about their fate within the scope of the "International Week of Struggle Against Disappearances in Custody" since 1995.
Mehmet Can Ayşin is one of those who were detained and never heard from again during the period when unsolved perpetrators and disappearances in custody began. Ayşin was detained in the Mizagê village of Licê, Amed, in front of her family and villagers on May 7, 1994, and was never heard from again. Aynur Ayşin (54), daughter of Ayşin, who asked about the fate of her father, who was taken into custody when she was only 24 years old, has been asking about the fate of her father for 30 years. Saying "I will not stop searching as long as I live," Aynur Ayşin asks about the fate of her father every week in the "Let the missing be found and the perpetrators be tried" protest with the relatives of the missing. Ayşin said: "They should at least give us his bones. We want them to tell us where he died. When we ask about his fate, they say they do not know and do not accept the facts. Enough is enough, 30 years have passed, they should accept the facts. Even if they do not accept it, we will not abandon our cause."
Aynur Ayşin stated that she hopes to reunite with her father alive and asked non-governmental organizations, political parties and the public to take action to relieve the pain they are experiencing.
'THEY DETAINED ALL VILLAGERS FROM 7 TO 70'
One of the witnesses of that day was Ferman Ayşin. Ferman Ayşin said that on the day his uncle Mehmet Can Ayşin was taken into custody, their village was raided and all villagers from 7 to 70 were detained. "Some were detained for 3, some 4, and some 5 days. 43 people were detained for a week. At that time, 2 people were released, Mehmet Can Ayşin was not released. We went to police stations and battalions and asked, unfortunately we couldn't find it. There is no place we haven't applied for for 30 years, but we haven't gotten any results. They disappeared and executed thousands of people during that period" Ferman Ayşin said.
'THERE ARE BONES OF THE KURDS UNDER EVERY STONE'
Ferman Ayşin, who described the forced disappearance of the Kurds with the words, "No matter which mountain in Kurdistan you look at, there are traces of the bones of the Kurds" and said: “What is this like? People are taken and executed without trial. Since you have the law and you trust your law, why don't you hand over these people to the law and execute them? So you have no law. So you don't trust your own laws."
'GOVERNMENTS CHANGED, THE FILE HAS NOT CHANGED'
One of the thousands of people in custody is 18-year-old Mehmet Şirin Bayram. Bayram was detained at the house of his relative Ramazan Tekin in Bîra Zeyna village of Amed's Pasûr (Kulp) district, where he went as a guest in November 1996. Bayram, who was detained during home raids by soldiers and village guards, was never heard from again. Remziye Bayram, who has been looking for her son for 28 years, wants at least her son's bones to be reunited. Remziye Bayram said: "Today, my case is with the government. When Şirin was lost, Tansu Çiller and Süleyman Demirel were at the head of the government. No matter how many governments changed, his file did not change. Everyone should put their hands on their conscience. No one can go out and ask for the bones of their children, but we want to have a cemetery and visit the cemetery of our children."
'LET THIS OPPRESSION END'
Reminding the pressure on the Saturday Mothers, Bayram said: "We know that we will get results. We will take the bones of our children, but I do not know when will be end. The oppression of the oppressors will eventually come back to haunt them. Not far away, a few days ago, the President of Iran gave the death penalty to 4 young people. Less than 24 hours later, they died. There are ill prisoners in the prisoners, those on hunger strike, and those in isolation. Where are our children? Some are missing, some are in prison, some have lost their lives because of this persecution. I call out to the government from here, enough is enough! They cause us pain not only this week, but for the rest of our lives. Once every 12 months, this week is a loss week, but for us it is no different from other days and weeks. Let this oppression end."