DTK co-chair and HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven made a statement following the actions by Zülküf Gezen and Ayten Beçet in prison and Uğur Şakar in Germany.

Leyla Güven sent a voice message to Dengê Welat radio in Kurdish, underlining the need for strength and morale during the hunger strike resistance. Sacrifice actions are very valuable but each of them had actually taken away a piece of herself. 

“Revolutionaries should not die easily”

Leyla Güven said: “I left behind a season of resistance. Resistance continues and grows more and more. Although I took the first step, the breakthrough was the prison resistance. Our demand has spread all over the world. Now everyone knows that the Kurdish people do not accept a life in isolation. Our first priority is to keep our morale and motivation high. Our ideology is based on the fact that revolutionaries should not die easily. They have to resist to the end. We are resisting. 

We know that our hope and freedom are under isolation in Imrali island, they are held captive. 

For the first time in our history, thousands of people resist indefinitely to remove isolation.  No one can say that these actions will not yield results. Will definitely get results, will surely win. 

Actually, we already got results. Newroz celebrations this year reached the highest level of participation and endorsement of the resistance as people flooded the rallies with slogans of young people and women. The people once again said that ‘we do not accept a life in isolation, the isolation on the Kurdish People's Leader is imposed on us, we do not accept this life’. 

The sovereigns saw the millions of people in the Newroz area, and I believe that they will be held accountable for it. We are not the ones who are forced, cornered, those who do not know how to take the steps. It is the AKP and MHP. Because they have an election in front of them, and they have no solution, they don't know what to do.”

"We are facing a new stage in the resistance"

Leyla Güven continued: “Comrades, we are now moving to a new stage. There is little left before success. With honesty I say: Let's create circles around the activists, let's create a circle of hope and will. Because victory is close, we will achieve it, we will win hundred percent. I say to our comrades who in prison to continue their actions in a moral, enthusiastic and peaceful way. Those who are not on hunger strike should embrace those who are.”

"We need to be strong and in high spirit"

About the sacrifice actions, Leyla Güven said: “Friends Zülküf, Ayten, Uğur I bow in front of your actions. They wanted to break the silence with the spirit of sacrifice. But I want to say that: every friend who carries out these actions is actually taking a piece of my body away, a piece of my spirit and heart. 

We stand in respect in front of these actions. But I want to say that: there is already an action going on. We are already in action, we are close to getting results. We must take our places around the hunger strike activists. We should not take any new actions. Sacrifice actions are really invaluable, nothing can be said about them, but these actions have also been evaluated by the Kurdish People's Leader, who said ’you must put life in front of you, not your death', 'you must raise your struggle for an honorable life', 'not to end your life, but to fight against different actions'. 

Friends, we must unite to make this hunger strikes spread all over the world in order to achieve the result. This is our purpose. 

For this reason, I have been fasting with high morale and in an enthusiastic way so far. 

More importantly, we have to raise the morale of the friends in prison. 

We need to be strong, to be in high spirit. 

For this reason, in order to live together, to break the isolation together. 

Let's celebrate that day together. 

Therefore, I take care of myself, of my life. I want you to gather around hunger strike actions and not carry out sacrifice actions. 

In fact, they are affecting my high spirit. 

Whatever I do, it affects me emotionally, aggravates the burden. I can't go on this way. 

I hope my friends will continue in this way and our action will be successful.”