JINHA

ISTANBUL- Kiraz Şahin, a member of the group Saturday People (Saturday Mothers), died last night after a battle with cancer. Kirazhad dedicated the last 19 years of her life to weekly Saturday sit-ins demanding justice for the disappeared—among them her husband İsmail Şahin, who disappeared in 1996.

Kiraz Şahin’s funeral will be sent to her nativeHubyar village in the central province of Tokat after a funeral ceremony heldtoday according to Alevi traditions in Istanbul’s Sarıgazi Cemevi.

Kiraz was a familiar face at the Saturday People's weekly sit-ins in front of Galatarasaray High School, in downtown Istanbul. She had told friends in a message on January 17 that she wouldn't be attending as usual with her children and grandchildren due to her illness.

Saturday Mothers and Human Rights Association (İHD) released a joint statement after Kiraz' death. “We lost Kiraz Şahin, who fit a 19 year-long search into her 40-year long life,” the statement said. Kiraz Şahin was 20 years old with a one-and-a-half-year-old son and four-year-old daughter when her husband disappeared.

İsmail Şahin, a cleaning worker at the Beyoğlu Municipality in Istanbul, was lost during working hours. Current president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was Istanbul's mayor at the time. The Şahin family appealed to all levels of government.

"I made Galatasaray my home with the hope of hearing from my husband. My children grew up here. My grandchildren were born here. I grew old here," Kiraz had said of her struggle."I spoke to people at the highest levels of the state. I told them my troubles and I got no response."

“Farewell, Kiraz. We will continue your search for İsmail where you left off," said the statement from her fellow Saturday People and İHD."Farewell Kiraz. We will hear your words and we will carry your husband’s photo in our hands every Saturday in Galatasaray Square. Farewell Kiraz. Your beloved İsmail is left to our consciences."

Hubyar Sultan Alevi Culture Association, of which Kiraz was a member, also released a statement, sending condolences to the Şahin family.

The association pledged to continue her struggle to push those responsible to account for their actions.

(fk/cm)