The co-chair of the Amed provincial branch of the Party of Democratic Regions (DBP), Zübeyde Zümrüt, has started a hunger strike in protest at the attitude of the police who are not allowing a march to the AKP party building to be held in protest at the attacks on Kobanê.

Women assembled in Orman Park in Amed today, and then wanted to march to the AKP building in the city in order to hold a press conference in front of the building to draw attention to the ongoing attacks on Kobanê.

The police, however, did not allow the march to take place. Following a discussion with the police, DBP Amed province branch co-chair, Zübeyde Zümrüt, announced that she was starting a hunger strike in the Orman Park in protest at the attitude of the police in not allowing the march.

Zümrüt said the decision to start a hunger strike is her own, adding that she will continue the strike until the group is allowed to march to the AKP building.

“The demands are raised to the ones responsible for meeting them. This is why we wanted to march to the building of AKP in order to raise our demands. Our demand is the opening of a humanitarian corridor to Kobanê. They prefer to use anti-terror forces and water cannon against democratic actions in many places in Turkey. They even want to determine our actions. What they are doing is unlawful as well as being unacceptable on humanitarian grounds. We have been prevented from marching here today. All the police in Diyarbakır have surrounded the park we are in. As a reaction to this, we have decided to sit here. Either this road will be opened to us and we will hold a press conference in front of the AKP building, or we will continue sitting here. We will anyhow raise our demands. We will tell our demands to the AKP. I will not leave here as a protest. I am starting a hunger strike. It is my own decision, and I will stand by my decision”, said Zümrüt, speaking at the park.

The action of Zümrüt and other women continues in the park under security measures taken by the police.