14 Kurdish activists who include politicians, lawyers, academics and journalists are on the 144th day of their indefinite hunger strike in the French city of Strasbourg demanding the end of the isolation imposed on Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

The Strasbourg activists followed DTK Co-chair and HDP MP for Hakkari, Leyla Güven who initiated the hunger strike protest on 7 November 2018, and whose action was later joined by thousands of prisoners in Turkey and North Kurdistan prisons and dozens of activists in Turkey, Kurdistan, Europe and beyond.

The hunger strike in Strasbourg was commenced on 17 December 2018 with the motto “Let’s break the isolation, let’s tear down fascism”.

The 14 activists state that they are determined to continue with the hunger strike “until the isolation is broken”.

Kurds and their friends continue to pay solidarity visits to the Strasbourg activists in support of their demand for the isolation imposed on Öcalan to be brought to an end.

Members of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Germany Committee have today visited the activists who continue their protest in bed due to their deteriorating health.

Speaking after the visit, Xebat Şakir of the PYD Germany Committee saluted the hunger strike activists in the person of Leyla Güven. Şakir defined the massive hunger strike protest as a historic resistance that represented the will of the Kurdish people. He stressed that they were not supporters but a part of this action.

“When it comes to Kurds, the Turkish state and the Syrian regime bear the same mentality, denying the Kurdish people the right to live with their own language and culture. Both states have the blood of Kurds on their hands,” said Xebat Şakir.

Remarking that a genocide was being imposed on the Kurdish people by aggravating the isolation of Öcalan, Şakir pointed out that the Turkish regime was forced to grant Öcalan’s lawyers a visit to their client on May 2 after 8 years because of the resistance.

Xebat Şakir emphasised that the coincidence of the Imralı visit with the cancellation of Istanbul mayoral election was a tricky move of the Turkish state. He continued; “The isolation has not been lifted. Our people have seen this tricky move. They are aware of the Turkish state’s tricks.”

Şakir stated that it was a duty of the Kurdish people to remove the isolation, and that the only way to achieve this was total resistance. He called on everyone who sides with democracy and co-existence to join and support this historic resistance.