The hunger strike of political prisoners in Turkey is to be extended, announced Deniz Kaya, spokesperson for prisoners from PKK/PAJK trials, on Sunday. So far, the hunger strike, which began on Nov. 27, 2020, has been carried out in groups, alternating for five days at a time. From July 14, the duration will be increased to fifteen days, Kaya stated.

The hunger strike against the isolation of Abdullah Ocalan, which has lasted for two years, and the unbearable prison conditions in Turkish prisons has been taking place for the 227th consecutive day. At the moment, the 46th group is on the move, but many of the participants are refusing food for the repeated time for the enforcement of their political demands and are correspondingly weakened.

The date for the extension of the hunger strike was not chosen by chance: July 14 has a special place in the Kurdish liberation movement because on that day in 1982, founding members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) imprisoned in Diyarbakir Prison - the "Hell of Amed" - went on a death fast in protest of the inhumane conditions in the military prison. They demanded an end to torture, enforced military discipline and uniform clothing.

The action is seen by Kurdish society as the "first spark of resistance" after the 1980 military coup, which also sent a revolutionary signal to people outside the prison walls to reignite the struggle against Turkey's oppressive regime. 55 days after the beginning of the death fast, PKK cadre Kemal Pir lost his life. Prisoners Mehmet Hayri Durmuş, Ali Çiçek and Akif Yılmaz also died in the course of the action. The death fast has been called the "Great Resistance of July 14" ever since and it is commemorated every year.