The hunger strike launched by political prisoners in Turkey to protest both the isolation imposed on Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan and the violations of rights inside prisons has reached its 30th day with the participation of a sixth group of prisoners.
Political prisoners announced a hunger strike on 27 November to end the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan, who has been incarcerated in the İmralı F-type High Security Prison for 22 years, as well as to protest the violations of rights happening inside prisons. The indefinite rotating hunger strike is on its 30th day.
According to JinNews’s latest report, prisoners are adamant for their cause and are calling for public support and awareness. However, prison administrations have not met prisoners’ demands so far and prisoners are facing mistreatment.
It was reported that female prisoners in the Alanya L-type Closed Prison were punished with confinement in their cells as part of the investigation launched by the prison administration into the hunger strike. The prison administration punished Nida Kutlu, Hatice Çakmak and Şükran Özer with 11 days of cell confinment after charging them with “propagandising for an organisation”.
Several political prisoners joined the strike
Prisoners in Turkey announced the beginning of their hunger strike via the weekly phone calls they made with their families on 27 November. Former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Çağlar Demirel, who is currently imprisoned in the Kocaeli Kandıra F-type high security prison, launched the hunger strike. Later, imprisoned former Democratic Regions Party (DBP) member Sebahat Tuncel also decided to strike, and applied to be transferred to the İmralı prison island complex where Abdullah Öcalan is being held.
Elsewhere several prisoners have joined the strike in prisons across Turkey.
Following the announcement of the hunger strikes, the Kandıra F-type High Security Prison’s administration raided the wards of several political prisoners, including Demirel and former HDP members and executives.
It has also been revealed that prisoners who were on hunger strike have been subjected to mistreatment in the Eskişehir H-type Closed Prison. Their wards were raided three times in one day.
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