In a phone call with his family, Zerdeşt Oduncu, a seriously ill prisoner held at Izmir Buca Type F No. 2 High Security Closed Prison, said that they have begun a hunger strike due to increasing pressure inside the prison.

Pressure, attacks, threats

His family confirned that Oduncu had been threatened by the prison director. In the call, he described the conditions inside the prison as follows: "Our situation is not good. They’re conducting raids and assaults. One of our friends had an angiogram. They brought him back to prison in a prison vehicle while he was still bandaged. Our demands are not being met. Our objections are met with threats. The prison director threatens us by saying, ‘Watch what I’ll do to you. I know what I’ll do once this process is over.’ When we try to mention the name of the director making these threats, they hang up the phone. We have been on hunger strike for a week in protest of these practices. We will continue our action."

Family concerned

Zerdeşt Oduncu’s mother, Selma Oduncu, shared her concerns: "We were hoping things were improving and that they would all be released, but now we’re receiving these kinds of reports from the prison. As a family, we are deeply worried. We do not accept these assaults on our children."

Zerdeşt Oduncu was arrested in 2011 in the Dêrik district of Mardin (Mêrdîn). He was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and continues to be held despite serious health issues.