Lawyer Abdülkadir Kutevi said that the practices against political prisoners have become more severe and stressed that the government will be responsible for any possible negative outcome.

Van Bar Association Prisons Commission Coordinator Abdülkadir Kutevi spoke to ANF about the isolation, hunger strike and pressure on political prisoners.

Kutevi pointed out that there was no response from the Ministry of Justice and the Turkish public regarding the hunger strikes against rights violations and the lifting of isolation in prisons, and said: “Our concern is that the hunger strike turns into death fast. Its conversion to death fast is a violation of the right to life, which is guaranteed by the constitution. The government and its supporters will be responsible should this happen. It is a necessity to meet legal and legitimate demands. The Ministry of Justice should understand this.”

Noting that, especially during the coronavirus pandemic and the new execution law, the rules applying to political prisoners have become more severe, lawyer Kutevi added: “The prisoners whose sentence and execution are completed are left in prison for an extra one year and this goes with the lack of visits with families and lawyers and their right to access to health. Indeed, applications to the Constitutional Court have increased in Turkey. In this context, the authorities need to take a serious step in order to facilitate the end of the hunger strike which is demanding an end to isolation and violations of rights. Hunger strikes cause heavy damage to the memory of a society and can harm social peace. We demand an end to the isolation as soon as possible.”