“We chose to resist not mourn,” says Halise Bilir, who lost her two sons
Halise Bilir, who lost her two sons in two years, has struggled for peace so that other mothers will not suffer from losing their children. “All mothers should speak out and join hands. We have suffered a lot, but we chose to resist not mourn. We defend life against war, we struggle for peace.”
MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU
Elîh –Halise Bilir stands firm after losing her two sons in two years. She is one of the thousands of Kurdish mothers who lost their children in Turkey’s Kurdish region. She lost one of her sons in the Cizre basement massacre, and the other in a clash broke out in Diyarbakır. She tries to forget the difficult days she faced while struggling for peace. She called on the Kurdish mothers to join hands. She has worked for the Peace Mother Assembly in Batman province to prevent more bloodshed.
She lost her two sons in two years
Halise Bilir told us her story as follows, “I raised my children under very difficult conditions. I lost my two sons in two years. One of my sons was killed in the Cizre basement massacre and the other in a clash broke out in Diyarbakır. I looked for the dead body of my son in Cizre for a year and seven months. His dead body was found during the construction works of the TOKİ (Housing Development Administration of Turkey). I identified my other son from his face.”
She devotes herself to the struggle for peace
Halise Bilir now lives with her husband in Batman. Since she lost her two sons, she has worked for the Peace Mother Assembly in Batman province to prevent more bloodshed. “Our children were killed. I have struggled for peace since I lost them. I would go mad if I stayed at home. Time stops when I stay at home. Mothers share our grief here. We work together and understand each other. We work everywhere to prevent more bloodshed so that other mothers will not suffer from losing their children. The Kurdish mothers suffered a lot and they continue to suffer. We should stop this situation. We should struggle to end this bloodshed, Halise Bilir told us.
“We resist despite everything”
Stating that she will wage the struggle of her sons to the end, Halise Bilir said, “I will always follow their resistance. I will always be with them. There are thousands of mothers like me. We shouldn’t just look at our children’s pictures; all mothers should speak out and join hands to end this bloodshed. We have suffered a lot, but we chose to resist not mourn. We defend life against war, we struggle for peace.”