HDP member Nasır Yağız has reached day 165 of his hunger strike in Hewlêr, while 14 Kurdish activists in Strasbourg and Imam Şiş in Wales have reached day 141 of their hunger strikes. Prisoners who have gone on hunger strike on 16 December have reached day 142. The hunger strike resistance spread to all prisons on 1 March.

 

A STATEMENT WAS MADE ON BEHALF OF THE PRISONERS : WE WILL CONTINUE THE HUNGER STRIKES

 

A statement was made on behalf of the prisoners after the attorneys visit to Öcalan, stating: “We, PKK and PAKK prisoners, followers of the 14 July resistance, continue with great resolve the indefinite and non-alternating hunger strike we launched to remove the absolute isolation on our Leader, and the death fast initiated by 15 friends on April 30.

 

The goal and scope of our action is now known by everyone. The isolation on our Leader is executed against our people, the humanity and democratization of Turkey. If the Turkish state wants the peoples to lead a democratic life in a country without war and exploitation, to resolve the freedom issues of peoples by ensuring all to co-exist with their ethnic and cultural identities, the addressee is Leader Apo.

 

Imposing a deepened isolation on the leader of a people means isolating the entire society and their value judgments and not recognising them. For this very reason, we, the PKK and PAJK prisoners in the prisons of Turkey and Bakure (Northern) Kurdistan, reclaim the value judgments of whole society and announce that we will be in resistance with great commitment to ensure a democratic and free living of peoples.

 

Our honorable and righteous resistance is achieving gains. Through resistance, we will take back what has been taken from us by force, and we will succeed. The faith, spirit and feeling of this leads us to resistance. At this stage, the fascist AKP-MHP alliance is implementing various special war policies in an attempt to continue with the isolation imposed on our Leader, and to break the resistance we have been a part of.

 

The main purpose behind allowing Öcalan’s brother to Imralı on 12 January is known to be to continue with the isolation and to break the resistance. After failing to achieve a result to this end, the Turkish regime has allowed a meeting with the lawyers of our Leader as part of its policies seeking to break the resistance.

 

We would like to state that the meeting held by two lawyers with our Leader on May 2nd is of great importance and value to us. However, such a meeting does not mean the end of the isolation. In essence, the meeting was held under the conditions of isolation. This is how we interpret this meeting process.

 

Our resistance will continue until the demands we had declared before are met and put under legal assurance by the Ministry of Justice. It needs to be known that we will never give up or make concessions on our resistance under any circumstances until the isolation is removed.

 

The fact that the points we had declared to the public are included in the constitution of the Republic of Turkey but still are not implemented, has shaken and individualized the sense of justice and damaged its independence.

 

It must be known that our resistance as PKK and PAJK prisoners is also a resistance to re-establish the reputation of the justice system that has been cheapened by the hands of the government and the State.

 

We would like to state that the resistance of our families, especially of our mothers, who are giving voice to this sacred resistance outside, is being an incredible source of morale for us. Outside are resisting our mothers, inside their children. The scope of our resistance shouldn’t remain limited with us alone because the isolation is essentially imposed on the entire society. For this reason, we have no alternative but to resist.

 

It should be known that we are in great resolve as we continue our action with consciousness and without any hesitation. We will never give up on resistance until our demands are met.

 

We invite all our peoples, defenders of democracy, academics, writers and intellectuals to give voice to the resistance.”

 

 

15 PRISONERS STARTED A DEATH FAST

 

15 political prisoners amongst the approximately 7 thousand hunger strikers, turned their action into a death fast in İstanbul Bakırköy, Kocaeli Gebze, Van and Diyarbakır Prisons.

 

HDP DEPUTIES ON HUNGER STRIKE IN DIYARBAKIR DISTRICT BUILDING

 

HDP Diyarbakır Deputy  Dersim Dağ, and Van Deputy Tayip Temel and Murat Sarısaç have been on hunger strike in Diyarbakır Provincial Organization building since 3 March.

 

Sedat Akın, who went on hunger strike while in Erzincan T Type Closed Prison, was released and is continuing his hunger strike in his house in Batman. He is on the 120th day of his hunger strike. 

 

Gurbet Ektiren has been released from Bakırköy Prison and is continuing the hunger strike she began on 15 January at her house. 

 

İhsan Sinmiş (55) has been on hunger strike since 1 March in Silivri Prison and is continuing his hunger strike at his home in İstanbul,Küçükçekmece. 

 

Ferdi Karabay, who was released on 22 March from Buca Kırıklar No 1 F Type Closed Prison, continues the hunger strike at home.

İsmet Yıldız who was taken under custody in HDP building because he joined the hunger strike and got arrested continues the hunger strike at home after he was released on March 29.

 

Sevican Yaşar and Salih Tekin who were released on April 2 continues their hunger strike at home.

 

Bilal Özgezer who was released on April 5 continues his hunger strike at home.

 

ENDED THEIR LIVES AGAINST ISOLATION

 

Uğur Şakar, who set himself on fire in front of the court in Krefeld on 20 February and lost his life in the hospital where he was treated on 22 March. 

 

Zülküf Gezen ended his life on 17 March in Tekirdağ F Type Prison No. 2, Ayten Beçet on 23 March in Gebze Women's Closed Prison, Zehra Sağlam on 24 March in Oltu T Type Closed Prison, Media Çınar 25 March in Mardin E Type Closed Prison. 

 

On March 29, Yonca Akici ended her life in Şakran Women's Prison and died in hospital on 1 April. Siraç Yüksek also protested isolation and died in Osmaniye No 2 T Type Closed Prison on 2 April while Mahsum Pamay put an end to his life on 5 April in No 1 F Type Closed Prison in Elazığ.