Kurdish hunger striker Nasir Yagiz is experiencing severe conditions. Yagiz cannot stand up and his body rejects liquids. “Whatever it might cost, our hunger strike will continue until the isolation is broken,” said Yagiz.
Nasir Yagiz, who has been on hunger strike for 87 days in Hewler against the isolation of the Kurdish people's leader, Abdullah Ocalan, could not get up even though he woke up in the morning today. Yagiz’s stomach rejects liquid, his heart rhythm is disordered, and he suffers from severe headaches.
Yagiz, who is on hunger strike at HDP representation office in Hewler, spoke of his life story: “I was born in Batman in 1992. I learned about the struggle of the Kurdistan guerrilla in early ages, just like all other Kurdish youth. My childhood years passed during the hard times of war in Kurdistan. When I was 7 years old, an international conspiracy was developed against our leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999. My childhood continued under the heavy atmosphere of the conspiracy. When I stepped into my youth, I started to take part in the patriotic youth movement. In the period when I was working with the young activists, I tried to understand the philosophy of freedom and equality by reading Ocalan’s books. As I was realizing Ocalan’s ideas, I grew up in an atmosphere that would not accept the isolation imposed on Ocalan.”
‘More than our physical health, our will is important’
We had met Nasir Yagiz in 2014 in the human shield action against the Turkish military operation in Sason countryside of Batman. On that day, a provocation by the Turkish state to end the negotiations with Abdullah Ocalan was undermined. In order to block this peaceful action, the police in Sason detained us alongside 87 human shield activists for 3 days. Nasir Yagiz said while in detention that peace cannot be isolated and cannot be provoked by operations. Almost five years have passed since then. Nasir Yagiz, who has participated in an indefinite and non-alternating hunger strike initiated by Leyla Guven in order to demand the removal of Ocalan’s isolation, said: “Believe me that the victory is close. Nothing can stand against faith. The will, shown by the resistance under our confidence, will prevail. Let our faith be clear regardless of health problems. So far, I have not given up on my morale. I am not going to let the physical health problems break my resistance. With this understanding, victory will be for our people.”
Guven’s hunger strike reminded everyone of the need to break the isolation
Referring to the hunger strike launched by Leyla Guven, Yagiz said: “Our Hakkari MP and the co-chair of the DTK started this hunger strike resistance at Amed Prison. This resistance shows that the Kurdish people have not accepted the international conspiracy and the isolation for 20 years. Guven’s hunger strike reminded us all of the need to break the isolation.”
The international conspiracy was continuing. Ocalan was under heavy isolation. At this time, the US took a decision against the three pioneers of the movement, it announced awards for any information on those revolutionaries. This was considered as the second conspiracy. All of this led me to serious questioning. I was deeply occupied with thoughts to find an answer. Actions were taking place against these developments, but they were not enough. We were kind of investing hope in the UN and European states to take action, yet they are the major partners of the conspiracy. There is a leader who sacrifices himself for his people. But we could not do much to remove the aggravated isolation imposed upon him. The hunger strike campaign is an action to remove the isolation, to defeat the conspiracy. Leyla Guven, me, Strasbourg activists, political prisoners, Heval Yusuf, Heval Imam, Heval Şiyar, and everyone on hunger strike is committed to the cause.”
Our people in Europe must step up their actions
Stressing that the isolation was in fact imposed on all Kurdish people, Yagiz said: “Our campaign will continue until we break the isolation of Ocalan. We will continue the struggle in order to realize a free life with our own identity and our own homeland. For 20 years, our people have been condemning the conspiracy. ‘You cannot darken our sun’ has been the motto of this resistance. I hope that in 2019 we will witness Ocalan’s freedom through democratic and radical actions. Our people are determined to do this and I believe that they will. Our people must now take to the squares and demonstrate to breathe a sense of freedom. As the hunger strikes are joined by new actions, we see that the isolation is crumbling and gradually broken.”
Our people should shake Europe with their efforts. We should stand up and show our insistence on peace and equality. We must show that we demand peace, democracy, and freedom for our people and leader.
Our action will continue until the isolation ends. No matter what the cost might be, we will continue. We started the action risking our lives and our physical health. What is important for us is the success of our action, the end of Ocalan’s isolation. Our martyrdom will be a special martyrdom. We will be a martyr of our people and for the freedom of our leader. There is nothing more honorable than that. We will prevail. We have no choice but to succeed. No matter what the cost might be, we will lead our campaign to victory. We may be blind, our ears may not hear, our feet may not walk but we will succeed.”
