An FIDH delegation went Saturday 24 May to Galatasaray square, in Istanbul, where FIDH is holding its Congress, to support the "Saturday Mothers". These women gather every Saturday since 1995 to demand the truth about their missing children and relatives. From the 70’s to the 90’s, Turkish security forces were responsible for the disappearance of over 800 Turkish and Kurdish activisits. The FIDH delegation included Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize and Nassera Dutour, spokesperson for the Collective of Families of the Disappeared in Algeria.
FIDH delegates then went to Dolmabahce, also in Istanbul, to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide. Those present, including Artak Kirakosyan, General Secretary of FIDH from Armenia and Yusuf Alatas, FIDH Vice-President from Turkey, threw flowers into the sea in the memory of the victims. It is from Dolmabahce that over 300 Armenian intellectuals were forced onto trains on 24 April 1915 and taken towards unknown destinations; this was one of the initial events of the Armenian genocide. Each year, on this day, Turkish human rights defenders pay tribute in this very symbolic place.
FIDH is currently holding its 38th World Congress in Istanbul. Its 164 members organisations are meeting to define FIDH’s strategy for the next three years and elect on 27 May, the new international board.