The family of July 15 martyr Halil Kantarcı: We miss him…

The father of Halil Kantarcı, Ali (76), and his mother, Fadime Kantarcı (66), who became martyrs at the age of 37 as a result of fire opened by FETO members in Çengelköy, Istanbul, find solace in the support of both the state and the citizens who come to visit them from all over Turkey.

The Kantarcı family, who sometimes live in Istanbul and sometimes in the center of Sivas and come to their hometown, Canova village in the Zara district, during the summer months, spends time in the park built in their son's name at the entrance of the village on some days.

Father Ali Kantarcı said that 9 years have passed since his son's martyrdom, but the years that have passed have no significance.

Emphasizing that their pain is as fresh as the first day, Kantarcı said, "The wound inside us is bleeding the same way it did 9 years ago."

Stating that the state is always on their side, Kantarcı said, "May God bless our state; they are mobilizing every possible resource for us. We are truly pleased with the attention. Our state's hand is always on our side."

Kantarcı expressed his honor that schools, parks, and streets across the country were named after his son, saying, "Halil always lives in our hearts. We miss him, we always feel his absence. He never leaves our hearts. Our grandchildren have grown up, and we find solace in them. May God bless my other children, too; they never let me down."

Martyr's mother, Fadime Kantarcı, said that her son's pain was as fresh as the first day.

"I miss my son so much, we miss our martyrs so much. May God make their graves full of light, their places heaven, may they rest in peace. May God never separate us from the intercession of our martyrs," Kantarcı said, and continued:

"They took my son's youth, his dreams, everything. May God wreak havoc on them. May God protect them from experiencing this pain, may God never show this pain to anyone again. They took my life, my heart, a part of me. I leave them to God, may God deal with them as He wills. I can't even visit the park named after my son; I can't bear it at all. May God never give the oppressors another chance. One of our Halils is gone, but we have thousands of Halils. No one can replace him. They shed their blood, they gave their lives, they entrusted the homeland to us. They sacrificed themselves for the homeland."

Fatih Deveci, President of the Sivas Martyrs' Families and Veterans' Social Assistance Association, reminded everyone that it was the anniversary of the treacherous coup attempt and stated that July 15 should not be forgotten.

Recalling that eight people registered in Sivas were martyred and 100 became veterans on the night of July 15th, Deveci said, "When you say Sivas, the homeland, the land, and the flag are precious. Just as people poured into the streets of Sivas squares that night upon learning of the treacherous coup attempt, our fellow citizens in other provinces also took to the streets and shed their blood for this land and this homeland."

Deveci emphasized that they were working hard to ensure that the name of July 15 martyr Halil Kantarcı was not forgotten, and concluded his speech as follows:

"As part of our duty, we have an obligation to tell the story of our martyrs. We bring together our students and the fathers and mothers of our martyrs. Our goal is to ensure our martyrs are not forgotten, and to do so, we must instill this belief in new generations. In this context, we name schools and parks after our public institutions and organizations to keep their sacred memories alive."

AA