MERSIN – Meryem Erbey, who lost two of her children during the conflict, said, “The only thing that can heal my pain is peace and the freedom of our Leader.”
The Peace and Democratic Society Process, initiated following Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 call, continues today. Among its strongest supporters are mothers who lost children during the conflict and have transformed their grief into organized struggle through the Peace Mothers Assembly. Meryem Erbey, who lost two children in the freedom struggle, has a child injured fighting DAESH in Minbic, one in prison, and another forced into exile due to state pressures.
‘THE PRESSURE NEVER ENDED’
Born in Derhem village, Dihê district of Sêrt (Siirt), Meryem Erbey’s family migrated to Mersin in 1976 due to state pressures. She raised two children in Sêrt and eight in Mersin, facing multiple hardships. She recalled, “In 1993, my children’s cousins were killed in a clash in Mersin. My children grew up under this shadow. After our Leader was arrested in 1999, my daughter Halime (Ekin Amed) joined the struggle in 2000, and my son Mesut (Reşit Botan) joined the same year. Another daughter followed in 2002. Halime was martyred in Avaşin in 2016, and Mesut in 2006. Because three of my children participated, the state’s pressure never ceased. I was repeatedly detained. My son Mehmet was imprisoned in 2010 and sentenced to 24 years because of his siblings’ involvement. Another son had to leave the country in 2017 due to ongoing pressures.”
‘THE STATE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR DEATHS’
Meryem Erbey stressed that the Kurdish struggle is a justified one. “The Turkish state consistently exerted pressure and refused to recognize the existence of the Kurdish people. The Kurds did not take up arms or go to the mountains voluntarily. The state is responsible for this. Through special warfare, young people were driven into the trap of drugs,” she said. Highlighting Öcalan’s broader vision for peace, she added, “He wants peace not only for Kurds but for the entire Middle East and the world. If the Leader had been listened to, the Turkish state would not have suffered so much material and moral damage. The deaths of soldiers or guerrillas are not his responsibility; it is the state’s. Despite all oppression, the Leader has been isolated in İmralı for 26 years, fighting for peace. Turkish mothers and all who claim to support democracy and peace must join the Kurdish people’s hand. This peace is in the hands of the Kurds. We trust our Leader, not the state or anyone else.”
‘THE ONLY THING THAT CAN HEAL MY PAIN IS PEACE’
Meryem Erbey concluded: “I have suffered greatly. I want peace so that other mothers do not endure the same pain. The only thing that can alleviate my suffering is the arrival of peace and the freedom of our Leader. Kurds’ rights must be constitutionally guaranteed. The state’s corrupt mentality toward Kurds must change. They should not stall us. The state has yet to take any step for the process. Sick prisoners have not been released. Constitutional rights must be granted. Kurds are not the same as before. The state must come to its senses. Today, Israel is attacking Iran, Syria, and Iraq. Turkey will also be affected. To avoid harm, it must hold the hand of peace extended by our Leader. As mothers, we must lead peace and bring it to the Middle East. If we fail, the region will fall into even greater chaos.”
MA / Mehmet Gules