The alternating hunger strike of prisoners in jails in Turkey and Kurdistan, demanding "freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a solution to the Kurdish problem", continues on its 12th day.

PKK prisoners in Eskişehir H Type Prison, who continue the rotating hunger strike that started on 27 November 2023 as part of the campaign "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, political solution to the Kurdish problem", called on everyone to do their best to make the campaign successful.

The statement said: “Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held in Imralı Prison under an unprecedented system of isolation and torture for 25 years. He is not allowed to benefit from any legal rights, he is not allowed to meet with his family and lawyers, and there has been no news from him for approximately 3 years. This situation has reached a stage that threatens his life safety and health.”

The statement continued: “Although the isolation and torture regime implemented in Imralı Prison is clearly contrary to national and international legal norms, it is persistently and increasingly intensified day by day, and the CPT, which is responsible for preventing torture, as well as international institutions and organizations continue to participate in this unlawfulness by remaining silent.”

The statement added: “The concept of war to violently suppress the Kurdish people's struggle for democracy, equality and freedom, based on the isolation and torture system in Imrali prison, has dragged the state system and social structure in Turkey into a multifaceted structural crisis in the last 8 years. Continuing the war will lead to a further deepening of the crisis. The way out of the crisis is through ending the Imrali isolation system, gaining physical freedom for Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, and solving the Kurdish problem through political means.”

We do not accept Imrali torture system

The statement added: “We, as PKK prisoners in Eskişehir H Type prison, do not accept the Imrali isolation and torture system, which is imposed on us and our people in the person of our Leader. Our leadership is our reason for life. We see the freedom of our leader as the freedom of all oppressed peoples, especially the Kurdish people, and the entire democratic society. We continue our rotating hunger strike, which has been started since 27 November 2023, in order to be a part of the campaign 'Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, political solution to the Kurdish problem'.”

Let's make the campaign successful

The prisoners “invite all our people, all women and youth, all workers, revolutionary-democratic circles and everyone who calls themselves human, to join this campaign and do everything they can for the success of the campaign. We offer our greetings and respect with the deep belief that we will definitely succeed together.”