Mother refuses to leave Turkey for France without arrested daughter

ESKİŞEHİR - Hürriyet

Sevil Sevimli was arrested and detained in Eskisehir, in northeastern Turkey, on May 10, 2012. AFP Photo

The mother of an arrested French university student of Turkish origin who came to Turkey as part of the Erasmus program has said she will not return to France without her daughter, daily Hürriyet reported.
 
Sevim Sevimli, the mother of 21-year-old Sevil, has been staging protests everyday in front of the Eskişehir prison where Sevil is being incarcerated on charges of alleged involvement with a left-wing group listed as a terrorist organization.
 
French media have also been following the matter closely. A French channel interviewed the Sevimli family and the locals of their town, while a live broadcast of Sevim Sevimli's demonstrations in Eskişehir will feature in an upcoming TV program.
 
Major press outlets in the country have devoted headline stories to the matter, according to daily Hürriyet.
 
Sevil Sevimli, who has lived in France since she was born, came to the Central Anatolian province of Eskişehir 10 months ago as part of a university exchange program after she decided it would provide a good opportunity to become better acquainted with her family’s homeland, Turkey.
 
Six students, including Sevimli, were arrested in Eskişehir on May 10 during operations against the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C).
 
The woman has been accused of attending a concert by the left-wing band Grup Yorum held in Istanbul on April 12, participating in May 1 celebrations, hanging a banner demanding free education and more, according to Sevimli's lawyer.