With the start of the indefinite hunger strike demanding an end to the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and the life-threatening prison conditions in Turkish prisons, the repression in the prisons in the province of Van has also intensified further. The hunger strike, which was launched by prisoners on November 27, is currently being conducted in groups for five days at a time.

Prisoners who participate in the hunger strike are punished

Speaking to ANF about the ongoing action in Turkish prisons, the co-chair of the prisoners' aid association TUHAY-DER in Van, Kudret Temel, gave information about the situation in the prisons in the province. Despite all the warnings, the government has not taken any step so far, Temel said, stressing that very serious consequences can occur for this reason.

She continued; “The isolation of Abdullah Öcalan affects not only his person, but the whole of Turkey and the peoples who live in it. It is a question of peace, democracy and freedom. Our friends have set out with very legitimate demands. They are resisting the great injustice that has been forced upon them. They want nothing more than their rights. For example, prisoners who should be hospitalized because of the pandemic are instead placed in solitary cells. Their rights to yard exercise and food are violated. This is to pressure political prisoners who are on hunger strike.”

Temel noted that visitors to the prisoners are also harassed. For example, relatives have to wait at the prison door until the evening, when they are told that the prisoners have a disciplinary sentence and are therefore not allowed to receive visitors.

"Let's fight together and not be silent to this outcry"

Temel underlined that: "Our call to the government is to accept the demands of the prisoners even before there are deaths. If this does not happen, the government will be responsible for what happens in the future. We must not remain silent to the cry of the hunger strikers. Let's give voice to this cry and fight together to ensure that the legitimate demands of political prisoners are met."

"What is happening in Patnos prison is a crime against humanity"

Temel described the conditions in Patnos prison as particularly bad: "In Patnos prison, political prisoners are forced to shower with cold water. In a cold place like Patnos, this is torture and a crime against humanity. And the Ministry of Justice still talks about justice. This is just unconscionable. People have received their punishment and it must be carried out according to the law of execution. No one can just arbitrarily apply such punishment methods."