Socialists from Turkey started 3-day solidarity hunger strikes in Cologne, Paris, Basel and London. The hunger strike actions, organised by the European Confederation of Oppressed Migrants (AVEG-KON), Voice of Prisoners Platform (TSP), Socialist Women's Union (SKB) and Young Struggle, demand freedom for all political prisoners and an end to the isolation of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

In a statement about the action, the Socialist Women's Union in Europe (SKB) stated that they embrace the demands of the prisoners on hunger strike in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, as well as the demands of 61 female prisoners on hunger strike in Iran’s Evin Prison.

Pointing to the arrest and execution of activists in Iranian prisons, especially after the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini by the fascist Mullah regime, SKB stated: “In recent weeks, 61 women political prisoners in Evin prison in Iran have gone on a hunger strike. The Kurdish female activist Sakineh Parvaneh in Mashhad prison started a hunger strike in protest against the executions, and Zeynep Jalalian, who is under isolation in Yazd prison, went on hunger strike in support of those in Evin prison. As the Socialist Women's Union, we announce our support for the hunger strikes of women from Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan). We call for the immediate lifting of the isolation of political prisoners in Turkey and Kurdistan and freedom for political prisoners."

Paris

Hunger strike activists in Paris called for struggle and resistance against various fascist practices, such as the increase in the isolation torture in prisons, the lack of news from Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan for 3 years, the imposition of cell-type jail in Type-S and Type-Y prisons and the genocidal treatment of sick prisoners who are left to die in prison.

In parallel to the action, hunger strike activists are expanding their solidarity network by visiting various institutions.

The activists also visited the Ahmet Kaya Kurdish Cultural Centre and called for enhanced solidarity.

London

Kurdish People's Assembly members and writer Ali Poyraz also joined the hunger strike in London, which is carried out in the building of the London Migrant Workers’ Cultural Association (Gik-Der).

Speaking about the action, Ali Akgül drew attention to the situation of sick prisoners and isolation in Turkey and said that they wanted to respond to the oppressive policies of the Turkish fascist state.

Ali Akgül said that their aim is to raise awareness in Turkey, Kurdistan and Europe against the fascist Turkish state’s repressive and arbitrary practices in prisons, "because the isolation is applied to the peoples in the person of Mr Abdullah Öcalan in a racist, chauvinist way. The situation of sick prisoners is getting worse and worse, and their freedom must be ensured as soon as possible. While many sick prisoners are legally required to be released, they are denied release and left to die. In the last year, 78 political prisoners lost their lives in prisons. We call on all our people to take action on this issue and to increase their actions until they get results. Only in this way can we win," he said.

Background

Members of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and PAJK (Party of Free Women in Kurdistan) imprisoned in Turkey went on hunger strike on 27 November in support of the international campaign "Freedom for Öcalan, A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question". According to the prisoners' representative, Deniz Kaya, the hunger strike is carried out in alternating groups and will continue until 15 February.

27 November is the date of the PKK's 'founding congress' held in the village of Fis in the Lice district of Amed (Diyarbakır) in 1978. 15 February, on the other hand, is the day of the capture of Abdullah Öcalan as a result of an international conspiracy in Kenya in 1999, when he was handed over to Turkey and has been held under an aggravated isolation system since.