Peace Mothers sentenced to 12 months jail

Istanbul - Twenty four women have been sentenced to 12 months jail after being found guilty of voicing separatist propaganda. The women aged between 40 and 75 are members of the Peace Mothers initiative which has worked since 1999 to mediate between warring parties within the Kurdish region and between Kurdish and Turkish forces. The Turkish Daily News reported that the women had chained themselves together and blocked traffic in the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir calling for a general amnesty and an end to isolation in prisons. The women also carried a banner that said: “Mr. Öcalan is our political will.” Abdullah Öcalan is the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Ocalan and many other political prisoners in Turkey are held in solitary confinement.
The women's lawyer Meral Bestas said “The demonstration and the slogans were aimed at peace. It was an innocent act and should be protected under the freedom of _expression. If not, the court will be punishing a call for peace.”
The women were arrested on Feb. 22 this year and freed after spending two months in jail. If the Supreme Court of Appeals approves the sentences the women will return to jail for a further 10 months.