Istanbul- The sit-in protest held in front of the Urfa Courthouse by Emine Şenyaşar, whose husband and two sons were killed in the attack carried out on June 14, 2018, in the Suruç district of Urfa province by the relatives and bodyguards of AKP Urfa MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız, and her son Ferit Şenyaşar, who survived the attack, has entered its 442nd day.

This year’s “Peace and Democracy Award” has been granted to the Şenyaşar family. Yesterday, Emine Şenyaşar and her son Ferit Şenyaşar went to Istanbul to receive the award at the Human Rights, Peace and Democracy Award and Commemoration Ceremony organized last night by the Istanbul Medical Chamber (İTO) in memory of Dr. Sevinç Özgüner. Turkish Medical Association (TTB) President Şebnem Korur Fincancı gave the award to Emine Şenyaşar at the ceremony.

“We stand with the Şenyaşar family”

At the ceremony, Nergis Erdoğan, president of the Istanbul Medical Chamber (İTO), made a speech. “The Şenyaşar family has been granted this award because the members of the family were killed at a hospital, which should be the safest place for everyone, including health workers. The attack on the Şenyaşar family was also an attack against us, doctors. The organizations of doctors cannot remain silent against such attacks. The Şenyaşar family and Boğaziçi employees, who have paved the way for hope and sought rights against injustice, continue their struggle for rights in every area and we stand with them in their struggle,” she said in her speech.

“I will struggle”

After receiving the award, Emine Şenyaşar made a speech and said, “I will stay in front of the courthouse until my son Fadıl is released (from prison). I want justice but there is no justice. They battered my son a lot. We are tired now. This government has no justice. This man could not be a member of the parliament but he became a member of the parliament with the support of the state. I am taken into custody and my son is beaten for going in front of the courthouse but I will struggle until my son is released.”

“The persecution continues”

“Many organizations give awards to the mother (Emine Şenyaşar). None of the awards changes the look of the mother. The persecution continues because there is no justice. We continue to seek justice in Istanbul,” the Şenyaşar family posted today on their social media account.