PodcastSaturday Mothers meet for 1032nd time, seek justice for Efeoğlu brothers
Turkey's Saturday Mothers gathered for a symbolic 1032nd time at Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square and sought the fates of Ali and Ayhan Efeoğlu, who were forcibly disappeared under detention 33 years ago. The group said their ongoing vigils “are the most important proof that the practice of law is not working properly.”
Ferhat Yaşar / DUVAR
Turkey's Saturday Mothers, a group who has been holding vigils for their relatives who disappeared or were killed in suspicious circumstances in the 1990s, held its 1032nd gathering on Jan. 4 at Istanbul’s iconic Galatasaray Square.
The group sought justice for Ali and Ayhan Efeoğlu brothers this week, who were forcibly disappeared under detention in 1992 and 1994.
In a statement, the group first wished that “2025 will bring us closer to our losses and our country closer to peace, justice, and tranquility.”
Accordingly, Ayhan Efeoğlu was studying at Yıldız Technical University, and Ali Efeoğlu was at Istanbul Technical University.
“On Oct. 6, 1992, Ayhan was detained by civilian-looking police officers in front of the university. He was taken to the Anti-Terror Branch. His family asked all the relevant institutions of the state about him and were told that he was not in custody,” it said.
“Two years after Ayhan's disappearance, his brother Ali was also detained on Jan. 5, 1994 near Istanbul’s Pendik (district). Unable to find Ayhan, the family applied to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. However, no effective investigation was conducted into the disappearances of Ayhan and Ali Efeoğlu, and the investigations were closed with a decision of non-prosecution on the grounds of statute of limitations,” it added.
The group said that Ayhan Çarkın, a former special operations police officer, confessed in 2011 that Ayhan Efeoğlu was tortured to death while in custody. “‘I buried him with my own hands,’ he said, giving the names of the police officers who interrogated Ayhan Efeoğlu under torture and who lost his body.”
Upon this confession, the family once again applied to the judiciary, filing lawsuits against the said police officers and the Interior Ministry.
“To date, there has been no investigation and prosecution that would reveal the material truth and ensure criminal justice. We insist on our demand that the fate of the brothers Ayhan and Ali Efeoğlu be revealed,” the group said.
The group concluded, “No matter how many years pass, we will not give up demanding justice for Ayhan and Ali Efeoğlu, for all our missings, and reminding the state that it must act within universal legal norms!”
Since 1995, the Saturday Mothers have staged a sit-in at Galatasaray Square, demanding answers about their loved ones who disappeared in custody and calling for the prosecution of those responsible.
(English version by Alperen Şen)
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