ŞIRNEX - Nazire Birlik, the mother of Hacı Lokman Birlik, who was tied to an armoured vehicle and dragged on the ground, said: "There will be no peace until Abdullah Öcalan's words are fulfilled. We want to live freely in the land we live in."

 

Nazire Birlik, the mother of Haci Lokman Birlik, who was dragged to an armoured vehicle and murdered on 3 October 2015 when curfew was in effect in Şirnex (Şırnak), spoke about the developments following Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s “Call for Peace and Democratic Society”. Mother Nazire Birlik emphasised that a lasting peace can be achieved if the demands of the Kurdish people are met. 

 

'OUR LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY MUST BE FREE'

 

Nazire Birlik said that she could trust the sincerity of the state if the Kurds' demands for their rights were met: "They say 'we will make peace'. What will peace be built on? This people have demands. There are many prisoners in prisons, so many people have lost their lives, so many villages have been evacuated and destroyed. Were these prices paid in vain? There will be no peace until the demands of Mr Abdullah Öcalan are fulfilled. We do not believe in the state. The current demands of the Kurdish people must be met; firstly, political prisoners must be released, and conditions must be created for the guerrilla in the mountains when they lay down their weapons and come back. The language and identity of this people must be free."

 

Nazire Birlik said, "We are already in our own land, we have no eyes on anyone else's land and water" and added, "We want to live freely in this land like every living being. We want to live without fear, anxiety, detention, arrest or death. If the process develops in this way, we will believe in their sincerity. If this does not happen and they will only make politics on the basis of 'the guerrilla has laid down its arms and we have made peace', we will not accept this. Thousands of sons of this people gave their lives for this struggle. We say 'peace' despite what has been inflicted on us."

 

'THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE'

 

Nazire Birlik stated that mothers should take responsibility in this process and stressed: "Since the beginning of this struggle, Mr Öcalan has been making the same demands, the Kurdish people have been making the same demands. This time is the last chance. That's why all mothers should take responsibility by saying 'my heart burned, no one else should burn'. The life of the world is not as long as the life we will live."

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut