She buried her husband and two sons in a day. And one of her sons has been held in prison while she has to look after her grandchildren left without a father. There are no words to explain her grief. Emine Şenyaşar has staged a sit-in protest in front of the courthouse in Urfa province to demand justice for her killed husband and sons. Neither the prosecutor nor those who govern this country hear her scream… Her only wish is the freedom of her son in prison before her death and the punishment of those who murdered her family members.

MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed – When I looked at Emine Şenyaşar’s eyes, I remembered a song of İlkay Akkaya, “I am at the station where all the melodies are silent.” In this region, the pain in the heart of each mother can scream the place down but no one hears this scream. She lost her husband and two sons in a day but she tries to stand upright but no one understands how she is suffering… On June 14, 2018, she didn’t know her life would be upside down, her life wouldn’t be the same, and her heart would be broken forever on that day. Every day, we cover the protest of Emine Şenyaşar… She sits on the stairs of the courthouse keeping a prayer rug and papers reading “Justice” near her. Those who pass by just look at her, some get angry, some feel sad; some don’t know why she is there. Who knows the storm inside her? Why has Emine Şenyaşar staged a protest there while having difficulty in standing?

Three graves next to each other…

On June 14, 2018, AKP MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız was visiting shopkeepers with his relatives and bodyguards. They also went to the shop of the Şenyaşar family and attacked the family members. They killed Celal Şenyaşar (41), father of three, and wounded Adil Şenyaşar (36) Mehmet Şenyaşar, Fadıl Şenyaşar and Ferit Şenyaşar. Their father Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar (67) and their mother Emine Şenyaşar went to Suruç State Hospital to see her wounded children. At the hospital, In front of Emine Şenyaşar's eyes, her husband and two sons were also lynched and killed. Police attacked people attending the funeral by using tear gas and water cannon while people tried to bury the killed three people. Three people were buried next to each other under police attack. The killed people were later declared “terrorists” by Turkey’s President. One of the sons of Emine Şenyaşar survived the attack and he was arrested after being discharged from hospital.

She lives with the longing of the past

Emine Şenyaşar is a mother of six and after the incident, Emine Şenyaşar lives only for demanding “justice” for her husband and sons. After her marriage, she began to live in the center of Suruç. She raised her children in Suruç and her only daughter Rojda fell sick and passed away five years ago. After losing her only daughter, she tried to hold on to life with her five sons. Before the incident, she had a large family but now she lives with the longing of the past.

She tries to make her voice heard by staging a sit-in protest

Emine Şenyaşar couldn’t go to the Suruç district where the massacre took place, for a year. Now, she tries to make her voice heard by staging a sit-in protest in front of the courthouse in Urfa province. She lives with her grandchildren and daughter-in-law. In the house, no one speaks. Sometimes, three-year-old Rojda, daughter of jailed Fadıl Şenyaşar breaks the silence in the house. Fadıl Şenyaşar was arrested when Rojda was three-month-old and Rojda hasn’t seen her father for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I cannot stay anywhere due to the pain inside me”

Emine Şenyaşar spends most of her time playing with her grandchildren and performing prayers. She always prays to God saying, “They killed my children when they were hungry. My God doesn’t leave them unpunished.” Emine Şenyaşar told us that her last wish is to see her jailed son Fadıl and that she cannot stay anywhere due to the pain inside her.

“They arrested my son, survived from the attack”

Emine Şenyaşar told us they haven’t celebrated any religious festivals or mother’s day since the incident took place. “On the day of the incident, my son called me and asked, ‘Mother, what are we going to eat tonight?’ then, we heard this incident. When I went to the shop, blood was everywhere. They tortured and killed my children without any reason. They killed my husband at the hospital. They arrested my son Fadıl at the hospital. Everyone knows those who killed them. Everyone knows who they are and where they are. They killed my two children and husband but no one has been punished. They weren’t arrested but my son was arrested. He has been on trial; I want to see my son free before I die.”

Emine Şenyaşar has staged a sit-in protest in front of the courthouse in Urfa for nine days to demand “justice” for her killed husband, two sons, and jailed son.