German Opposition party Die Linke (The Left) offered an important support for the hunger strikes led by DTK Co-chair and HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven that now continues in several centers throughout the world and prisons in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan. Prominent MPs from the party issued a declaration, calling on Turkey to implement rule of law for political prisoners.”

Die Linke Co-chair Bernd Riexinger, Group Co-chair Dietmar Bartsch and Deputy Chairperson Martina Renner and 17 other MPs signed the declaration which draws attention to the hunger strikes and the isolation imposed upon Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan by the Turkish state. The following MPs signed the declaration:

Gokay Akbulut, Nicole Gohlke, Ulla Jelpke, Martina Renner, Michel Brandt, Doris Achelwilm, Bernd Riexinger, Matthias W. Birkwald, Alexander Ulrich, Diether Dehm, Dr. Dietmar Bartsch, Jan Korte, Cornelia Mohring, Niema Movassat, Christine Buchholz, Jorg Cezanne, Zaklin Nastic, Dr. Achim Kessler, Andrej Hunko, Jessica Tatti.

“TURKEY SHOULD FULFILL THE REQUIREMENTS OF COE MEMBERSHIP”

Die Linke MPs demanded that the Turkish state ends the isolation imposed upon political prisoners and Ocalan at once and said: “As a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey should fulfill the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights, especially for politicians behind bars. Isolation is a serious human rights violation. The prisoners must be able to meet with their families and their lawyers.”

Referring to the indefinite hunger strike resistance participated by around 7 thousand activists who demand the end of isolation on Öcalan, the Left Party MPs expressed the following concerns on the situation in the prisons of Turkey; “We are highly concerned over the situation of political prisoners in Turkey. 26 deputies and around 5 thousand members and supporters of the HDP are behind bars.”

CRITICISM TO GERMAN GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA

Recalling the answer given by the Federal Government to the parliamentary question submitted by the Linke on Erdoğan regime’s wave of arrest against the opposition, the declaration said the following;

“Hunger strike action is a tradition in the history of the Left and the of the Kurdish movement in Turkey. As is known from the experiences of many resistance movements around the world, prisoners go on hunger strike as the last opportunity to protest against the repression of the state.

The demands of hunger strike activists should be considered by all democrats as demands for the rule of law.

However, we see that there is still a lack of international solidarity and public information about the ongoing hunger strike action. In Turkey, it is not possible to speak of freedom of the press because of the Erdoğan government. Still, despite the fact that more than 100 demonstrations have taken place in Germany in solidarity with hunger strikes, this resistance has been narrowly covered by the German media. Unfortunately, the Federal German Government prefers to remain silent on hunger strikes.”

“ACT NOW”

Pointing to the unconcerned attitude of the Merkel-led Federal Government in the face of the rights violations in Turkey, the Left Party members addressed the following criticism and call to the Berlin government:

“It looks like what concerns the Federal Government is not human rights and rule of law but the continuation of its economic relationship with Turkey. As a leading member of the Council of Europe, Germany can save the lives of hunger strikers by ensuring the achievement of rule of law against what has been happening in Turkish prisons. Act now, for not economic relationships but the lives of people.”

Concluding the declaration, 20 parliamentarians of Die Linke provided summary information fort he German publi opinion about the developments taking place in Turkey and Kurdistan during recent years, Öcalan’s leading role in peace process and the aggravated isolation executed against Öcalan in Imralı Island Prison.