Sinn Féin deputies and spokespeople in Dublin and Belfast, Sean Crowe and Pat Sheehan have signed an opened letter to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan urging him to hear the calls of hundreds of prisoners on hunger strike. The letter was promoted by "Peace in Kurdistan. Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question".

The letter states "The Turkish Government has a responsibility to resolve this outstanding conflict in a spirit of justice, democratic inclusiveness and respect for the rights of all the country’s citizens".

And it further states "The individuals who have taken their decision to join this hunger strike are demonstrating their dedication and commitment to a cause that is unquestionably just and right".

Pointing out that "The men and women on hunger strike see no other avenues open to them when faced with a situation where elected politicians are criminalised and Kurdish community leaders are harassed, detained and sent to court to face grotesque show trials".

The letter ends by underlining that "These repressive measures shame Turkey and represent a dangerous political course that is now threatening to bring calamity on the country. All Turkey’s citizens, Turks and Kurds equally, will suffer as will future generations if the conflict and animosities are permitted to linger on and escalate".

The signatories underlined that "We have no hesitation in expressing support for the demands of those on hunger strike -

Education in the mother tongue;

The right to use Kurdish in defence in trials;

Respect for the Kurdish people’s democratic rights;

Freedom for Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan".