A press conference was held at the DBP (Democratic Regions Party) headquarters to discuss about the actions about the hunger strikes demanding the end of isolation against Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

DBP co-chair, Mehmet Arslan, DBP deputy co-chairs Halide Türkoğlu and Mehmet Şirin Tunç met the press.

AKP has no program for a solution

Co-chair Arslan underlined that DBP co-chair Sebahat Tuncel and former DTK co-chair Selma Irmak have gone on hunger strike on 15 January. Talking about isolation, Arslan said: “Turkey is ignoring all demands for a democratic solution of the problem, thus throwing the country into political chaos and deepening the crisis. Isolation policy is only by name aimed at Mr. Öcalan, in reality it is a policy to be applied on the Kurdish people represented by Öcalan.”

Arslan said that in fact, the AKP is trying to get rid of the Kurdish question through isolation and added: “No matter what happens, they are trying to state that there is no program for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question. Although the AKP government calls all the Kurds, especially the Northern Kurds, ‘our Kurdish brothers’, this situation is the source for Kurdish enmity policies.

It is not only us - said Arslan - but the world who say that Öcalan is not an ordinary prisoner. And the AKP government is the first to know this. Talks developed with Mr. Öcalan between 2013 and 2015 were talks acknowledging that Mr. Öcalan is the leader of the Kurds and their negotiator.”

Arslan added: “The peoples of Turkey have witnessed that with Mr. Öcalan’s considerations democratization is possible. This opinion is important to overcome the fundamental crisis of Turkey. The AKP has no contribution to the current situation in which the people of Turkey found themselves in. There may have been deficiencies in the process of solution negotiations, but at least dead stop in this land. Talks about peace could develop. The AKP has gone against the expectation of the peoples of Turkey by reversing the democratic atmosphere to secure its own power and isolated Mr. Öcalan.”

Everybody should act

Arslan also noted: “The main demand of the hunger strikers is the end of isolation against Mr Öcalan. The demand refers to the application of laws. If a price is to be paid in these lands, we take the political responsibility on us, and we tell the State to be aware of the seriousness of the matter. If lives are to be sacrificed, we are ready to give our lives voluntarily. The hunger strike is not suicide, it is our choice to use our bodies.”

Arslan called on everyone to act in support of the hunger strikers and for the end of isolation.

“The AKP's attitude at this point is very clear for us. We are sadly expecting negative news from prisons at any moment. The government must meet the demands of the hunger strikers as soon as possible, and prevent anyone of them from coming out in a coffin.

Kurdistan and Turkey should put pressure on the AKP government to meet the demands of the people. The AKP should abandon this isolation policy.”