Kurdish mothers tell Turkish lawmakers “Bury weapons, not children,”

ANKARA,— Kurdish mothers of fighters in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) urged Turkish lawmakers Wednesday to grant amnesty to their children and bring an end to decades of bloodshed. Speaking on behalf of the “Peace Mothers,” Nezahat Teke told members of the commission that families want weapons to be laid down permanently. Let us bury weapons, not our children,” she said in broken Turkish, wearing a white headscarf — a symbol of the group. The PKK launched its armed struggle seeking greater autonomy for Kurds in Turkish Kurdistan nearly four decades ago. Tuesday’s session of the commission included testimony from Turkish veterans and families of victims who demanded that PKK members face legal consequences as part of the peace process.