Human rights icon in Turkey, Emine Ocak dies at 89

Emine Ocak, a leading figure in Turkey's decades-long campaign against enforced disappearances, has died aged 89. She was one of the founding members of the Saturday Mothers, a group of families who have held weekly vigils demanding justice for relatives abducted by Turkish state forces and never seen again.

The Saturday Mothers began their peaceful sit-ins in Istanbul's Galatasaray Square in May 1995, calling on authorities to investigate the fate of hundreds who were forcibly disappeared during and after the military coup of the 1980s and the state of emergency in the 1990s. To date, no one has been held accountable.

Ocak's fight began in 1995 when her 30-year-old son, Hasan, was taken into custody amid political unrest in Istanbul. Authorities denied him for nearly two months. His tortured body was eventually found in an unmarked grave in a cemetery reserved for unidentified corpses.

Her case became emblematic of a wider pattern of state-linked abductions that have persisted in Turkey for decades.

Emine Ocak spent years pursuing every legal channel, attending court hearings and filing petitions. In April 1995, she was sentenced to a month in prison, reportedly for raising her voice during a hearing.

On 27 May 1995, families of other disappeared individuals gathered in a public statement outside Galatasaray High School, founding the Saturday Mothers. Their silent sit-ins became a potent symbol of civil resistance.

In 1999, the gatherings were banned following an order from the then-Interior Minister. Despite repeated police interventions and detentions, the protests have continued. In August 2018, during the group's 700th weekly vigil, police dispersed the crowd by force. January, then 83, was pushed to the ground and detained, drawing domestic and international condemnation.

Undeterred, she continued to speak out: “If we stop, this country will keep protecting those who get away with it.” She repeatedly questioned why those responsible for her son's detention have never faced prosecution.

Ocak's story is not unique. From the 1980 military coup through the Kurdish conflict of the 1990s and the aftermath of the failed 2016 coup attempt, hundreds have vanished after encounters with Turkish security forces.

Disappearances were especially common in the southeast during the 1990s, where many victims—often accused of separatism—were arrested without warrant, tortured, and never seen again.

One high-profile case was that of Kurdish businessman Savaş Buldan —husband of pro-Kurdish political leader Pervin Buldan —abducted in 1994 and later found dead. The European Court of Human Rights ruled Turkey responsible for his unlawful killing.

Since 2016, at least two dozen people, mostly civil servants and teachers, have been held in secret detention before reappearing months later. Victims have alleged torture, with organizations like Human Rights Watch documenting numerous cases.

Notable examples include Önder Asan, held incommunicado for 42 days in 2017, and Mustafa Yılmaz, who disappeared for months and showed signs of severe trauma upon release. Despite the evidence, Turkish courts have failed to investigate or prosecute.

Human Rights Watch said in 2020: “The authorities' inaction sends the message that these crimes are tolerated.”

Following her son's murder, Ocak became a relentless campaigner for justice—not only for Hasan but for all Turkey's disappeared. Alongside other families, she helped launch the Saturday Mothers, a movement inspired by Argentina's Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo — a group of women who, beginning in 1977, gathered weekly in Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo to demand information about their children who had vanished under the country's military dictatorship.

The protests took place every Saturday in a central Istanbul square, with participants holding photos of their missing loved ones. The square, though largely unknown internationally, became a symbol of civil resistance in Turkey.

While peaceful and consistent, the gatherings were controversial. They were banned in 1999 and violently dispersed in 2018, with police detaining participants including January.

In 2023, she returned to the square after five years, aged 87, accompanied by supporters holding Hasan's photo.

Ocak often said, “I lost one Hasan, but I gained a thousand.” Her fight transcended personal loss, representing a broader struggle against impunity and state violence in Turkey. She frequently asked: "We know who detained my son. We know who denied it. Why aren't they prosecuted?"

Her efforts raised international awareness about disappearances in Turkey, though systemic change remains elusive. Turkey is not a signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and domestic investigations are rare.

Ocak died after nearly a month in intensive care following a heart attack on 21 June. Her funeral took place today(July 24 th) in the same square where she protested for nearly three decades. She will be buried at Gazi Cemevi, a site of Alevi religious significance. Alevis are a minority religious community in Turkey whose beliefs are not officially recognized by the government and who have often faced marginalization.

The case of Emine Ocak and the Saturday Mothers highlights deep flaws in Turkey's democratic and judicial systems. Despite ongoing public pressure, successive governments have resisted transparency. Trials are rare, and accountability remains almost non-existent.

For thousands of families across Turkey, the silent vigil continues.

Medyascope English Newsroom