Democratic Society Congress (DTK) issued a written statement on the death fasts.

The statement pointed to the hunger strikes and said the following:

“The hunger strike launched by Democratic Society Congress Co-chair Ms. Leyla Guven demanding an end to the absolute isolation imposed upon Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan in the Imrali Prison since 2015 is on day 174. The hunger strike by a group of politicians in Strasbourg is on day 135. Politician Nasir Yagiz is on day 161 of his hunger strike in Irbil. The hunger strike launched by thousands of prisoners is on day 136. They all continue because the Turkish state and government have refused to take steps to resolve the issue.

As it is known, several prisoners have ended their lives in protest of the state’s disinterest and to urge the public to take action.”

WARNING FOR MASS DEATHS

The statement also included the following:

“In the face of the state’s insensitivity and refusal to take steps towards a solution to the issue, 15 prisoners in various prisons have decided to turn their hunger strike of 136 days into a death fast.

The level the hunger strikes have reached is beyond critical, and we are facing the fact that there can be mass deaths at any time.

“THE SILENCE IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE”

The silence of the public, intellectuals, democratic institutions and legal and human rights organizations is incomprehensible, faced with this fact. The weak statements made occasionally are far from translating into public pressure that would force the government to take steps.

As such, with the awareness and weight that there is a race against time to avoid death, it is a conscientious duty and a responsibility for all individuals and institutions to take action, to speak up so the Turkish state and the AKP government implement the requirements of their own constitution and laws URGENTLY and end the isolation, to hear the cries of the prisoners’ families and to show solidarity. It must be known that those who avoid this duty and responsibility today will fail to face humanity or history when the time comes.

“EUROPE MUST ALSO TAKE URGENT ACTION”

The fact that some hunger strikes are turning to death fasts necessitates that the CPT, Council of Europe, European Parliament and international law/human rights organizations take urgent action and force the Turkish government to take steps.

A death fast must be considered an urgent call for action for our people, our institutions and the national and international public.

As such, we are calling on the public and democratic bodies to take action, once again.

We repeat our call to the President and the AKP government to end their indifference of the legal, legitimate, humane and moral demand by the hunger strikers and to end the isolation at once to prevent deaths.”