ŞIRNAK - Held in prison for three years because of her struggle as a Peace Mother, Nahide Ormanlı said she continues her struggle for the last 20 years without losing hope so that her grand children wiln not go through the persecution she did.

 

The Peace Mothers set out to fight against the intensified war policies against the Kurds in 1996. Mothers who pioneered peace since that day faced threats, pressure, detentions and arrests. In order to establish a livable country where there is no war, it was organized as an initiative or a council in many cities. Nahide Ormanlı is also a member of the Peace Mothers in the Silopi district of Şırnak. Ormanlı, who was born in 1966 in the village of Dedeler (Babika) in the Silopi district of Şırnak, was forced into marriage by his family when he was 13 years old.

 

FORCED INTO MARRIAGE AS A CHILD

 

Ormanlı who was very much loved by her family as the family lost 7 of her elder siblings before her, said: "One they my family came and said they will marry me. I was very scared and hid under a blanket. I cried a lot. I didn't know what marriage was. I got married and things started to get rough. I was doing all the house work. I was milking the cows, cleaning the house.. I was a child. I never had the time to rest. It was torture. We were so poor. Life was cruel. I raised my children with great effort. I worked all my life."

 

'TORTURE UNDER CUSTODY'

 

Ormanlı who had to leave her village after she was married, witnessed the war in the Kurdish cities. Ormanlı, who is among the Peace Mothers with the belief that there should be a struggle against war in the current conflict environment, said, "The only wish of us mothers was the peace of the peoples. We did not want anyone to suffer injustice. I never wanted anything more than I wanted peace. However, the response of Turkey to my wish for peace was prison. I was detained with a raid on my house in 2012. I was tortured under custody. They handcuffed me behind my back and kept me waiting for hours. They hit my back with the butt of their guns while I was handcuffed. I was tortured for hours. But I wasn't afraid of them. Not even for a single moment. What was happening to me was the reason why we wanted peace."

 

HER HUSBAND AND SON WAS ARRESTED AFTER HER

 

Underlining that her son was arrested 3 months after she was arrested, Ormanlı was released from Mardin Type E Closed prison 2 years and 6 months after she was arrested. Ormanlı started to suffer from blood pressure and stomach diseases in prison. After her sentence was finalized by the Supreme Court, Ormanlı was sent to Şırnak Type T Closed Prison for another 6 months. Her husband Necmettin Ormanlı (70) was arrested and sent to Şırnak Type T Prison right after she was released

 

HOPE FOR PEACE

 

Stating that her wish for peace and her struggle to stop the deaths ended in prison, Ormanlı said: "The prison was very tiring for me. But I still insist on peace. I have seen a lot of tragedies but none of them made me give up my dream for peace. I will continue to struggle for peace so that my grand children won't go through what I have gone through. I hope the war ends and we will finally achieve peace."