Saturday Mothers meet for 1039th time, seek justice for Yıldız disappeared under custody

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 1039th gathering on Feb. 22 at Istanbul’s iconic Galatasaray Square.

The group sought justice for Murat Yıldız this week, who was forcibly disappeared under custody in 1995

In a statement read by Sebla Arcan, the group said they gathered even under snowy conditions because “we cannot find out what happened to our loved ones whom we have not heard from since they were detained by security forces.”

The group said 19-year-old Murat Yıldız was living in the western İzmir province. 

“During a brawl in a cafe, he fired a gun in the air, walked away from the scene and was wanted by the police. The police told his mother, Hanife Yıldız: 'If Murat comes and surrenders immediately, he will be released after giving a statement',” they said. 

“Accordingly, on Feb. 23, 1995, Murat Yıldız, together with his lawyer, his cousin and his mother, went to the Izmir Bornova Özkanlar Public Security Department and surrendered to Commissioner Ramazan Kaya and police officer Tahir Şerbetçi,” they added.

However, when Yıldız did not return home after three days, his mother went to the police station again. 

“When Hanife Yıldız persisted in the face of contradictory explanations, the authorities claimed that since Murat had said that he had hidden the gun in the Kartal district of Istanbul, they had sent him to Istanbul under the supervision of police officers Tahir Şerbetçi and Şah İsmail Öztürk, and that Murat had escaped by jumping overboard from the ferry and could not be found despite all searches,” they continued.

After a five-year trial, the Gebze 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance took the statement of the accused police officers as a basis and fined them merely 1.18 liras in today's money for “negligence of duty,” even though there was no witness who saw Murat Yıldız jump off the ferry. 

Another investigation resulted in non-prosecution in 2017. The family then appealed to the Constitutional Court (AYM).

The Saturday Mothers reminded the state and authorities to act within universal norms of law.

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.

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