Reacting to the death of Emine Ocak, one of the first mothers to start the 30 year-long peaceful struggle for justice for victims of enforced disappearances in 1995 and one of most prominent figures in the Saturday Mothers movement, Ruhat Sena Akşener, Director of Amnesty International Türkiye said:
“Our sadness at Emine Ocak’s passing is made more painful by the fact that she goes to the grave denied the justice and accountability which she had tirelessly sought and deserved.
“In the 30 years since her son was tortured to death in custody, Emine Ocak was unwavering in her demand that the Turkish authorities investigate the fate and whereabouts of the hundreds of people who were forcibly disappeared and killed in Türkiye in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Emine Ocak was a key figure of the Saturday Mothers movement which, in turn, became a potent global symbol of the importance of peaceful protest. She never lost hope that those responsible for the torture and killing of her son Hasan in police custody would face justice. She never lost faith in the importance and power of the right to truth, justice and accountability for all those forcibly disappeared. She will be sorely missed.”
Background
The Saturday Mothers/People (Cumartesi Anneleri/İnsanları) began their peaceful sit-ins in Galatasaray Square on May 27, 1995, calling on the authorities to investigate the fate and whereabouts of the hundreds of people who were forcibly disappeared in detention and killed in the aftermath of Türkiye’s military coup in 1980 and the state of emergency of the 1990s.
Emine Ocak was the mother of 30-year-old Hasan Ocak, who was tortured to death in March 1995. His body was found 58 days later in an unmarked grave in a woodland. In 2004, the European Court of Human Rights found Türkiye had violated Hasan Ocak’s right to life. To date, no official has been held responsible and brought to justice for his enforced disappearance and killing in police custody.
A memorial service will be held for Emine Ocak on July 24 2025 at 10am (7am GMT) local time in Galatasaray Square and will be attended by representatives from the human rights movement including Amnesty International Türkiye.
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