The KCK issued a statement calling on everyone to support the prisoners.

The statement reads as follows:

"Without interruption, the genocidal, colonialist Turkish state and the fascist AKP-MHP government arrest all people who are fighting for the legitimate struggle of the Kurdish people and for democracy. But the Turkish state does not stop there. It additionally exerts enormous pressure on all prisoners and attacks them again and again. Recently, these attacks by the Turkish state have greatly increased and have led
to the murder of numerous prisoners.

Prisons have thus turned into places of isolation, torture and death. Through their public protests, the families of the prisoners are trying to make the population and the public aware of the pressures and attacks against the prisoners and are thus trying to highlight how severe and critical the current situation in the prisons is. With this aim, the families of the prisoners have recently taken a stance and held protests in numerous places.

All the attacks leading to the murder of prisoners once again highlight the Kurdish-hostile nature of the genocidal, colonialist Turkish state and the AKP-MHP government. Kurdish hostility is one of the cornerstones of the Turkish state, which is why the genocide of the Kurds is its main goal. Through its policies towards the Kurdish people, the AKP-MHP government has taken the state's hostility towards Kurds to the extreme.

With the fascist AKP-MHP government, the denial and annihilation mentality in Turkey has increased significantly. The AKP-MHP government's treatment of prisoners alone illustrates the extent to which the state is characterized by a mentality of denial, annihilation and hostility towards the Kurds. While the political prisoners in
Turkey's prisons are subjected to attacks and murders. The official state imams refuse to say prayers at the funerals of the murdered prisoners. Religious and human morality dictates that prayers be said at the funeral, regardless of who the deceased person is. But as soon as Kurds are involved, even this is prevented by the state.

Recently, the state also prevented the burial of Aysel Tuğluk's mother and attacked
her grave and body. Currently, the Turkish state is trying to murder Aysel Tuğluk in prison. Garibe Gezer also lost her life due to the inhumane torture she suffered in prison. Several prisoners were recently murdered in Silivri Prison while it was claimed that the cause of their death was a heart attack and suicide. All this definitely does not happen by itself, but is a result of the annihilation policy that the AKP-MHP government pursues against all those who support the Kurdish people's struggle for existence and freedom. Because the Kurds do not surrender to genocidal colonialism and insist on their freedom, AKP-MHP fascism takes revenge on them. It puts in prison all those who profess their Kurdish identity and wage a struggle. At the same time, the Turkish state resorts to measures in prisons that do not meet any moral
and human principles.

The National Prison Authority and the individual management of the prisons constitute a network of gangs and murderers with the help of which the annihilation policy of AKP-MHP fascism is implemented. The sole aim of the National Prison Authority is to dissuade the prisoners from their struggle and to force all those who do not agree to surrender. This attitude is a direct result of the anti- Kurdish and
inhumane mentality of the Turkish state and the AKP-MHP government.

Prisoners are subjected to pressure, isolation and attacks, and are murdered for not letting their will be broken and for resisting against the demand to surrender. The enormous pressure and intense attacks in the prisons underline the great resistance that the prisoners put up. The political prisoners represent a source of inspiration and honor for society. They are people who are imprisoned because of their desire for
freedom. That is why they are called 'Prisoners of Freedom' by the people. They have been deprived of their physical freedom, but in reality they are the freest of all people.

The genocidal, colonialist state and AKP-MHP fascism think that they can bring the prisoners to their knees through pressure and attacks. But this is a serious misconception. The prisoners will never surrender to colonialism and AKP-MHP fascism. The fascism of the September 12 regime also assumed that it could break the will of the prisoners through torture and massacres, turn them away from their struggle, bring them back to society with destroyed respect, and thus crush the people's struggle. However, through their incomparably strong resistance, the
prisoners shocked the September 12 fascism at that time. Today, just like the September 12 regime, AKP-MHP fascism is trying to break the will of the prisoners through various measures and force them to surrender. It assumes that it can achieve this through pressure, isolation and threats. Prisoners who have served their 20-, 30-year sentences are threatened with new prison terms and kept in prison. The Turkish state thinks it can thus achieve its goals. But the AKP-MHP regime will never achieve this goal. The prisoners would rather spend double the time of their sentence in prison again than capitulate and give up their struggle. Because they are the creators and the inheritors of the prison resistance of July 14 [1982]. The Prisoners of Freedom will never surrender to threats, extortion, pressure, torture and massacres.

The families of the prisoners must not be left alone in their struggle against the attacks on the prisoners. The patriotic Kurdish people and their international friends must express their protest even more clearly and thereby help to increase the protest actions of the families of the prisoners. The prisoners are imprisoned because they are fighting for the freedom of the people. Standing up for them is the most important
patriotic and human duty of all. In many places, the families of the prisoners are currently protesting. However, in order to bring an end to the pressure on the prisoners, the whole of society must stand with the families of prisoners. At a time when prisoners are leaving prison in coffins, life must not just go on as usual, but the whole society must show solidarity with the families of prisoners and join their protest.
Prisoners and their families must not be left alone with their struggle.

All those who call themselves opponents of the AKP-MHP regime must not remain silent against the measures taken in the prisons and the murder of the prisoners. It is an enormous contradiction to call the AKP-MHP regime fascist, but at the same time not to protest against its measures. This contradiction must be overcome immediately. Being anti-fascist means taking a stance against the measures of fascism. Those who do not do this are on the side of the AKP-MHP. Everyone must be aware that society is watching this very closely. The standard for a democratic stance that insists on justice is to support the very people who are imprisoned for standing up against injustice and tyranny.

We also call on the democratic public to take up this issue even more forcefully. The democratic public must not be silent towards the actions of AKP-MHP fascism against the prisoners. Rather, it must follow this situation closely and provide support. Through its fascist mentality and measures, the AKP-MHP government is dragging Turkey more and more into a dark abyss. Therefore, everyone must take a stance against the measures of AKP-MHP fascism, protest and support the prisoners.

The pressure and attacks of AKP-MHP fascism on the prisoners create great anger among the Kurdish people. Through this anger, the Kurdish people will further strengthen their struggle for freedom and achieve their goal. They will smash colonialism and fascism. Just as the people's anger against September 12 fascism led to the intensification of the struggle, today the people's anger against the actions of AKP-MHP fascism in the prisons will lead to important results, bring about the
smashing of AKP-MHP fascism and make the people's intense longing for freedom come true. At the same time, our Movement will bring to account all those who are responsible for the fascist and inhumane attacks on our people and prisoners. As the Freedom Movement, we salute all prisoners and resistance fighters and express our respect for them. The struggle of the prisoners for willpower and honor will be victorious and the fascist mentality will be defeated."