PN calls for government investigation into Turkish mothers case

The Nationalist Party has urged the government to investigate whether protocols for protecting young children and trafficking victims were observed in the case of two mothers jailed for using false documents to flee persecution in Turkey. 

In a statement on Tuesday, the party questioned what role the Directorate for the Protection of Children had in the case.

“Why had the children been exposed to dramatic proceedings in court, possibly traumatising them? What contact was there now between the mothers and their sons,” the party asked.

The PN also questioned whether enough had been done to establish whether or not the mothers and their children were effectively victims of human trafficking.

The mothers, teachers Rabia Yavuz and Muzekka Deneri, are currently in prison, having admitted to passport offences after being arrested in Malta on their way to Brussels.

The young children were present in the courtroom on Wednesday as the women were jailed. The toddlers screamed helplessly as their mothers were led away. The children are now in the care of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services.

In an appeal application filed on Monday, the mothers’ lawyers, Gianluca Cappitta and Jason Grima argued that the six-month jail term handed to them was excessive and said the women had fled to Greece and were on their way to Brussels to renew expiring documentation.

The mothers' lawyers are understood to be preparing a request for bail for their clients, pending the outcome of the appeal.

READ MORE: Turkish children only allowed to see jailed mothers through Skype