The parents of Mazlum Doğan, a leading member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) who set himself on fire on 21 March 1982, Newroz Day, spoke to DIHA (Dicle News Agency) about the struggle of their son.

Mazlum's mother Kebre Doğan, her eyes wet and her voice trembling, spoke about her son, saying: “Mazlum was a very cheerful and hardworking young man who was never afraid of anything. When I warned him about staying out of politics, he would reply to me saying that the important thing was his nation, not himself”. Doğan's mother had difficultly in speaking about Mazlum Doğan and her other son, Delil, who was murdered by special operation teams on 7 October 1980.
Mazlum's father Kazım Doğan continued telling about a visit he paid to his son in Diyarbakır Prison. “He strongly reacted when I warned him about not going against the court board during his trial. Then I spoke to Hayri Durmuş and told him to give some advice to Mazlum. His answer was 'He is the one who gives me advice, what can I tell him to do?'. Mazlum was always ready to sacrifice himself for the liberation of his nation. Before the murder of my son Delil, Mazlum had sent us a message which said that Delil should avoid surrendering and kill himself if necessary instead of being put in prison”.
Referring to the violence and torture Mazlum suffered in prison, Doğan's father said: “During a visit we paid to Mazlum, Kebre said to the prison officials that 'My son did nothing. You had better kill him instead of making him suffer this much torture which is a crime against humanity'. However, they responded to her saying that 'We will torture him to death, we will kill him slowly'. Hayri Durmuş died of the deterioration of his intestines. Even Jesus didn't suffer as much as they did”.
Referring to the current process towards a solution of the Kurdish issue, Doğan's father said that “In the past people would be denied the right to meet their relatives in prison and to speak Kurdish with them. Lawyers would be arrested and killed. However, the situation is much different today. We have come to this stage thanks to the torture our children suffered and the price they paid”.