Our struggle is hard and full of sorrow. But there are instances that give so much power and hope. These moments let us stand up again after having fallen down.

Pervin Buldan’s political life began when her husband was murdered on 3 June 1994. This killing alerted her to the dirty war waged in Turkey. She first joined the Saturday Mothers, the relatives of those who had disappeared. She then worked at Mag-der, an association to assist these relatives, which was subsequently closed by the state. In spite of many difficulties, Yakay-der, the Center of Support and Solidarity for the Family Members of Forcibly Disappeared People was founded in 2002, and Pervin became president. She is also the mother of two children.

"Turkey needs peace. In spite of all the sorrow and aggression, the people have never abandoned the struggle for peace. People in this country have suffered so much pain, shed so much blood. Villages were destroyed, people were driven away from their homes, their earth. Children lost their fathers. Women fighting for peace and unity were attacked. Being a human capable of loving and feeling was forbidden. Despite all this, we do not want anyone else to experience this misery. The only thing that gives us energy and allows us to carry on is our struggle and yearning for peace. We believe that this country needs love. It needs to have unity. It has to be free from enmity and killings between siblings. This was taught to us by our common life and history. Our history teaches us to live together in peace. To live in a democratic Turkey is everybody’s dream. We need to realize this yearning. A democratic Turkey that has resolved the Kurdish question; a country where everyone can express oneself without restraint, where murders by unidentified murderers are solved and the perpetrators brought to justice – that is our common yearning. Our struggle is hard and full of sorrow. But there are instances I cannot describe, that give so much power and hope. These moments let us stand up again, after having fallen down. The fire of hope in the eyes of mothers, as we sent the dossiers of all murder cases with unidentified murderers in Turkey to the European Court for Human Rights, released fire in our hearts. As do the women and children, who applauded us and welcomed us as we took the donation of 6000 items of clothing to the village of Kirkkoyun in Diyarbakir. These are moments that show us that our struggle is not for nothing. And they give us the power to continue."

Center of Support and Solidarity for the Family Members of Forcibly Disappeared People (Yakay-der)