Jailed Kurdish politician on hunger strike: We are determined

Imprisoned former HDP Hakkari MP and former DTK Co-chair Selma Irmak sent a message to the ANF and said they are determined to stand against total isolation.

Imprisoned former HDP Hakkari MP and former DTK Co-chair Selma Irmak sent a message on the 15th day of her indefinite and non-alternating hunger strike and said she is proud and excited to be taking on the responsibility of creating hope in place of despair.

In her message to the ANF, Selma Irmak said the absolute isolation imposed upon Ocalan is inhumane and immoral and stressed that it is vitally important that this social demand be met at once, and Ocalan is provided with free living and working conditions. Irmak protested the manipulation of the community with sporadic one-time family visits and added that this practice is testing the patience of the Kurdish people.

AN ATTEMPT AT OFFENSE

The remainder of the message Irmak, who has been on an indefinite and non-alternating hunger strike since January 16 together with DBP Co-chair Sebahat Tuncel, is as follows: “The attempts by the government and the ministry of justice to void or manipulate the hunger strikes instead of responding to the demand to end the isolation is an attempt at further provocations against society and at offense.

LIGHT AGAINST ABSOLUTE DARKNESS

With a woman’s heart I salute the hunger strike DTK Co-chair and our Hakkari MP Leyla Guven launched on November 8. I am proud and excited to be taking on the responsibility of creating hope in place of despair, and light against the absolute darkness. With this sentiment, I salute with love, respect, hope and resilience dearest Leyla Guven, who has torn at the darkness with torch at hand, all resisting women and all hunger strikers from Strasbourg to Hewler, from Amed to Kandira.

IMRALI IS A SYSTEM TO FORCE SURRENDER

The whole world, friend and foe alike, know that Mr. Abdullah Ocalan is not a person, he is a people. he is the peoples of the democratic nation, and he is every person who seeks the truth, and believes in justice, peace, human rights and freedoms. The absolute isolation system in Imrali that has been in place for 20 years is a system designed to put in a vice the present and the future of all of society, to force the people to kneel and to force surrender. But it has not achieved its goals, and never will.

WE ARE RESOLUTE AND DETERMINED

We launched this protest so the demands of activists will be responded to at once. We state once again that the brief visit Mr. Ocalan had with his brother is a positive development but isn’t enough, and we reiterate our determination to end the total isolation.

WE INVITE ALL

I send my love to all who showed support for this demand in the person of Leyla Guven. But to break the total isolation, it is clear that greater sensibilities and levels of organization are needed. We invite all to participate in the protests to achieve better results.”