Every Saturday, Saturday Mothers/People gather in Galatasaray Sq at the same time to protest and ask authorities about the consequence of missing people. With 700th week police attacked on the crowd and Galatasaray Sq. is banned by the authorities.Since then Saturday Mothers gathered in front of Human Rights Association office in Istanbul.

Many political opponent was dismissed by a method of missing under custody in Guatemala and Brazil in 60’s, after military coup in Chili in 1973 and in Argentina in 1976. Missing under custody has started to seen in Turkey in 80’s. HR data informs that between 1991-98, families of 520 missing people applied for missing under custody.

The approximate number is 1200 in 2005. Very few of the families know consequence of their loved ones. Hasan Ocak is one of the exceptional case. Hasan Ocak was taken under custody by 21 March 1995 and 55 days later his tortured death body was found in Altinsehir K. Graveyard with his family’s efforts. After this case mising under custody come into question in the public agenda of Turkey. Authorities prefer to be silent instead of making a detailed investigation. In 27 May 1995 the first sit-in protest started in Galatasay Sq. Every Saturday, relatives of missing people gather in this square at 12 o’clock to ask the authorities “To be informed for consequence of missing people, authorities in charge of missing people and no more missing case”.

They were called Saturday Mothers that their name come from the meeting day like in the Plaza Mayo Mothers in Argentina. In 15 August 1998, with the start of 170th meeting they were tortured,arrested and treated very badly during their peaceful protests which lasted after 30 weeks. They had to stop the sit-in protest after 200 weeks because of the increase of police violence and number of the arrests by 13 March 1999.

Saturday Mothers/People struggle started again in 2009 with the progress at the Ergenekon case.

In the southeast of Turkey there were holes digged related to the Ergenekon case. Human bones and some stuff was found in these holes. Besides this, confess of the people who had worked for the state, made relatives of missing people to speak up loud for their justice requests. In 31 January 2009 Saturday Mothers/People started to gather in Galatasaray Sq. for their sit-in protest to ask authorities about the consequence of missing people and people who are in charge of missings to undergo trail.