Political prisoners have started an indefinite-irreversible hunger strike in İzmir's Aliağa Campus of Prisons against the increasing repression.

The hunger strike against right violations and physical and psychological torture was started by 8 inmates in Şakran's T2 Prison and 5 others from T3 Prison on February 15, and was joined by 5 female prisoners from the Women's Prison yesterday.

Selma Altan, İzmir Representative of the Initiative for Solidarity with Prisons, pointed out a record increase in the right violations and frequent cases of systematic physical and psychological torture in Şakran Prison.

Altan stated that around 40 wardens attacked the inmates on February 14 on the grounds that they did not take off their shoes, which left 4 prisoners -Yusuf Özdemir, Yusuf Aydın, Fırat Çalkan and Vahdettin Budak- injured. Following the attack, the prisoners were taken to cells covered with sponge, where they were subjected to heavy torture.

DEMANDS OF THE PRISONERS

Selma Altan listed the demands of the prisoners as follows:

- ending of the repression in prison

- ending of the mass raids of wardens on wards

- enabling of communication between wards

- ending of the name tag imposition

- permitting of social activities

- ending of the restriction on books

- ending of the harassment by wardens during visitations

- enabling of treatment for ill prisoners

- ending of the imposition to stand at attention during the counting in wards.

Altan said prisoners were determined to continue their hunger strike, and called for sensitivity from Turkish authorities and the public.

In the meantime, Human Rights Association (IHD) Headquarters Commission on Prisons has decided to report the human rights violations in Turkey prisons that have remarkably increased after the coup attempt of July 15. A 50-person delegation will make examinations in 72 prisons across the country and report the violations of prisoners' rights. The reporting is expected to be finalized by June, and to be announced to the public afterwards.

The prisoners joining the hunger strike are as follows:

Şakran T2 Prison: Eren Tekin, Sinan Ekmekçi, Mustafa Akaş, Cengiz Doğan, Necdet Kaya, Erhan Ergüz, Murat Duran, Kasım Özdemir.

Şakran T3 Closed Prison: Zana Yaktın, İhsan Balkaş, Özgür Güçlü, Özkan Yaşar, Aslan İlhan.

Şakran Women's Prison: Hürriyet Doğan, Mahsune Şedal, Cihan Asi, Meryem Söylemez, Gurbet Öztürk.