18 political prisoners in İzmir Aliağa Şakran Prison launched an irreversible and indefinite hunger strike on February 15 in order to protest the isolation of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı Prison and and physical and psychological torture in prisons.

8 prisoners from T2 section, 5 prisoners from T3 section, and 5 prisoners from the women's section are joining the hunger strike.

The administrator and other officials in the prison where the hunger strike is taking place cannot be reached. The Şakran Prison has turned into a systemic torture center and every day new incidences of rights violations and torture come to light. Families going for visitations are subjected to mistreatment and physical torture in the prison and healthy communication with the arrestees is impossible due to communication penalties issued to prisoners.

FAMILIES CALL FOR PUBLIC SENSITIVITY

Families of the prisoners in Şakran are concerned over the developments and receive monthly visit bans when they object to the verbal and physical harassment they experience when they go to the prison.

Hunger striker Necdet Kaya's brother Hasan Kaya stated that he spoke to his brother on the phone, stating that the hunger strike will continue until it reaches its goal. Kaya noted that the conditions in Şakran Prison are very bad and said “They demand that the aggravated isolation of Öcalan ends and the conditions in prisons are improved. They say they will not give up on their protest until these demands are met. The public must speak out and a delegation must visit the prison immediately. Good things do not happen in the country because the conditions here are not improved."

DEMANDS

Below are the demands of the prisoners in Şakran where the hunger strike continues:

- End the isolation imposed upon Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

- Give medical attention and treatment to sick prisoners.

- End standing on attention during roll-call.

- End mass ward raids by the guards.

- End guard harassment during visitation.

- Remove limitations from social activities and books.

- Remove the name tag imposition.

- Ensure inter-ward communication.

- End systemic oppression in the prison.