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As the International Weeks Against Forced Disappearance from May 17-31 have started, sit-ins were organised on May 16 in different cities of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, first of all in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana and Antep. {divide}
On May 16, ICAD and YAKAY-DER members gathered for the 216th sit-in in front of Galatasaray Highschool, Istanbul. The action was supported by the families of many forces disappeared. At their 216th sit-in the Saturday Mothers demanded the enlightenment of the fate of the forces disappeared and the conviction of the responsible forces. They also demanded the files of Hasan Ocak and Ridvan Karakoc to be added to the Ergenekon trial. In a statement read out in the name of the Saturday Mothers, the struggle of the family Ocak to find Hasan Ocak was remembered. The action finished with the demand of the conviction of Necdet Menzir, Istanbul police chief at the time when Hasan Ocak and Ridvan Karakoc had been forced disappeared, Bayram Kartal, boss of the team who had tortured Ocak and Karakoc, general chief of the police Mehmet Agar, former Minister for Internal Affairs Nahit Mehtese and former Prime Minister Tansu Ciller.
In Ankara IHD members gathering at Yuksel Street made an action and sit-in. In a statement made in the name of the IHD, the following was said: "The forced disappeared under arrest are not wanted to be related to the Ergenekon trial. They don't want the truth to come out. We as the human rights' defenders demand that the truth must be told. We don't want the list of the forced disappeared, but the one of the responsible forces of forced disappearance."
In Izmir, the IHD's sit-in that had been realised for the last 3 months at Konak, was supported by the DTP , ESP , Mothers for Peace and different organisations. The IHD members laid down a list on the floor with the names of the forces disappeared and a pair of shoes to remind of the disappeared and stressed that the struggle for the forces disappearances would continue.
On May 17, ICAD, YAKAY-DER and IHD organised a commemoration for the forced disappeared at Altinsehir Cemetery, where Hasan Ocak's body had been found in 1995. The action where the banner was opened read "The murderers must be found, the account must be demanded" was supported by the EHP and ESP.
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