Lawyers from the Asrın Law Bureau advocating Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners in İmralı Prison have released a written statement regarding the indefinite-irreversible hunger strike launched by political prisoners across Turkey who demand an end to the isolation of Öcalan, worsening conditions in jails and attacks on civilian population.

The statement underlined that the demands highlighted by prisoners, the first group of whom is on hunger strike for 58 days now, are legal and legitimate demands that need to be defended as a requirement of democracy and law.

The statement by Asrın Law Bureau said the following:

“The content of the prisoners' demands directly consists of an objection against the policies of deadlock in the Kurdish question. At the same time, we see the demands as a kind of call to the government for a democratic resolution. These demands themselves, the denouncement of which even would be met with surprise in a state of law, are a manifestation of the backwardness with regard to human rights in our country.

One other point of importance is the reality of absolute isolation imposed on our client Mr. Abdullah Öcalan. The environment of silence sustained for years against these policies of vengeance imposed on Mr. Öcalan, the initial target of all kinds of anti-democratic practices, has formed a basis for the spreading of similar practices to all other prisons and all social circles. For this reason, these three demands take their source from the state's 'National İmralı Policies'.

Under the İmralı conditions that have not been improved despite all the judicial appeals, all rights including communication and meeting with family and lawyers have been suspended with the State of Emergency. İmralı is therefore a prison that has been fully closed to the outside world and where all human values are trampled.

We would like to announce to the esteemed public opinion that we have applied to the Ministry of Justice in order for this state of unlawfulness that is a source of constant tension for prisons and all social circles to be eliminated; in order for us to be allowed for regular meetings with our clients Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, Mr. Ömer Hayri Konar, Mr. Hamili Yıldırım and Mr. Veysi Aktaş; and in order for our application to be approved urgently."