ŞIRNEX – Esmer Çıkmaz, a Kurdish mother who has lost two of her children and hasn't heard from one of her sons amid decades of conflict in Turkey’s southeast, has called for peace, justice, and equal rights. “If Turks have rights, Kurds should have the same. We want our language, our identity,” she said.

 

Çıkmaz, 56, was forced to leave her village of Derşev in the 1990s after it was burned during military operations. Her son Metin joined the Kurdistan Workers Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan-PKK) in 2014 after repeated detentions. Her daughter Yasemin died during the 2015-2016 curfews in Cizre, trapped in a basement. She learned of her son Vahap’s death during Yasemin’s funeral; he was killed during a similar curfew in Idil (Hezex).

 

“I buried my daughter, and during the condolences, I was told my son was also martyred. We buried them side by side,” she recalled.

 

HOPE AMID GRIEF

 

Despite her profound loss, Çıkmaz remains committed to peace. She recently attended the July 11 disarmament ceremony of the Peace and Democratic Society Group in Sulaymaniyah. “I didn’t sleep for three nights. I was worried: what if we’re attacked again? But once I arrived, I was filled with hope,” she said.

 

She described the moment of seeing the group members at the ceremony: “They told us not to clap, but no one listened. Their presence, their dignity—it moved us deeply. Thousands of mothers like me have buried their children with their own hands. That moment, I thought: this pain must end.”

 

‘OUR HANDS ARE REACHING OUT FOR PEACE’

 

Çıkmaz expressed full support for Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 call for a Peace and Democratic Society. “We trust Öcalan. But the state hasn’t taken any real steps. We’re still waiting for action,” she said.

 

Emphasizing the need for equality, she added: “We want the same rights. The language used in the media is toxic, we want respect for our identity.”

 

Calling on families of soldiers and police to also speak out for peace, Çıkmaz said: “Mothers’ tears are the same color. Just as guerrilla mothers say peace, so should the mothers of soldiers and police. Let’s unite. This bloodshed must stop.”

 

She concluded: “I’ve lost three pieces of my heart, yet I still offer a hand in peace. If we act together, we can support Öcalan’s freedom and end this war. Let’s carry this burden together.”

 

MA / Emrullah Acar