On the 48th day of the indefinite hunger strike carried out in Strasbourg by 14 Kurdish activists to demand the end of isolation against Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, determination is what is felt among activists, despite their deteriorating health.

KCDK-E co-chair Yüksel Koç who was hospitalized on Friday night, was discharged after some tests and returned to the Kurdish Community Centre where the action is taking place.

At the beginning of the week, Kerem Solhan, another hunger striker, also was taken to hospital but soon returned to the Community Centre to continue the resistance.

Families don’t leave hunger strikers alone, they send message of resistance

The families of Yüksel Koç, Kerem Solhan and Ramazan İmir were in Strasbourg.

Yüksel Koç's wife, Gulê Koç, said that the families are behind the hunger strikers.

Sharing her belief in the success of the resistance action against isolation, Gulê Koç said: “We must raise our voice. We have to get out of the house and voice the hunger strikers’ demands. Great victory awaits them.”

Underlining that the victory of the hunger strike resistance will be the victory of the people, Koç stressed that the entire international community should take its responsibility.

 

Sarikaya: We owe President Apo

Hunger striker Mustafa Sarikaya stressed that the resistance is about to get results. He reminded that Turkish state allowed Öcalan's brother, Mehmet Öcalan to visit Imrali in an attempt to break the resistance. The same attempt was made with the release of Leyla Güven, said Sarikaya, underlining that the resistance will continue until isolation is broken.

“Whatever the price”, reiterated Sarikaya, that hunger strikers were ready to pay any price in Amed, Hewlêr or Strasbourg. “We want to win, this time. - he added - The people want to hear the voice of Leader Apo. This is a great shame for us. If we look at each other today and proudly say ‘we are Kurdish’, we owe it to President Apo.”

‘Twenty years without our Leader’

Sarikaya emphasized that they had a duty to break the isolation against Öcalan and said that they were late. “We are without our Leader for 20 years, and this is a big shame for us.”

‘AKP-MHP fascism is going through its weakest time’

Despite all the barbaric policies implemented by the Turkish state, Sarikaya said that the AKP-MHP fascism is actually going through its weakest time. He pointed out that “Erdogan does not want anyone from his party to speak or post a tweet”, and added that the Kurdish people, thanks to the resistance, have now imposed their own agenda.

‘Whatever the price …’

Referring to the Kurdish women's leading role in the history of resistance, Sarikaya said: “Leyla Güven made the first step and now everywhere is trembling”.

Sarikaya added: “No matter the price, success will be ours.”

Mehmet Nimet Sevim, another hunger striker, emphasized the resistance speaking to visitors. Drawing attention to the weakness of the Turkish state, Sevim talked to people about the end of Tayyip Erdogan.

Emphasizing the importance of giving support to the resistance everywhere, Sevim emphasised that isolation against Öcalan could only be broken through the participation of people in the resistance.

Dozens of Kurds in Strasbourg

On the 48th day of the hunger strike in Strasbourg dozens of Kurds poured into the French city to visit hunger strikers and showed their solidarity. Some 50 Kurdish people from Frankfurt visited the protesters, while many others came from cities such as Bremen and Cologne.

The families of the activists Yüksel Koç, Kerem Solhan, Ayvaz Ece and Ramazan Imir came to Strasbourg to support their beloved on hunger strikers. Among the visitors were Ayvaz Ece and Kerem Solhan's children.

On the other hand, after some of the hunger strikers were taken to hospital on Friday, doctor Fahrettin Gülşen said that he would release a new medic bulletin on their health.