The European wing of the "United Nations Revolutionary Movement" (HBDH) issued a statement on the hunger strike carried out by PKK and PAJK prisoners in Turkish jails. The hunger strike, which has been going on for over two months, demands the end of the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and of the rights violations in Turkish prisons.

"The Fascist regime tries to break the resistance"

The statement reads: “The fascist Turkish regime is attacking with full force to break the revolutionary resistance in Kurdistan and Turkey. Since 2015 the war policy has intensified, ranging from massacres to executions, from the destruction of Kurdish villages and cities to political mass arrests, from the use of the latest murder technology to wars and military occupations, from police terror to the ban on assembly in the streets, from electoral fraud to the appointment of administrators in municipalities. It also includes the legitimation of femicides through sexist political discourse as well as the disciplining of the masses through poverty and hunger.”

The statement continues: “The AKP / MHP regime tries to expand its occupation and its colonial attacks on Rojava and parts of south Kurdistan, to break the Kurdish spirit of resistance with the help of the KDP, to wipe out all the people's achievements and to make people pay for the bill of the economic crisis it caused.”

HBDH-Europa also recalled the case of Gökhan Güneş, who was allegedly abducted and tortured by the Turkish secret service a few days ago. Güneş was only released after massive protests. HBDH-Europa says: “In order to destroy those who do not bow to these attacks, these murders and resist fascism, the repression in the prisons escalated to the highest level. The increased isolation of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan is intended to intimidate both the Kurdish freedom movement and all revolutionary and socialist forces.”

"Pandemic as a pretext to further worsen prison conditions"

The statement reminds that “thousands of political prisoners held in fascist dungeons, and Abdullah Öcalan in particular, are subjected to isolation, oppression and abuse. The pandemic is being used as a pretext to further limit prisoners' communications, activities and visits. In addition, there are a number of other legal violations.”

"Support the prisoners' hunger strike”

The statement ends with the following remarks: “On 27 November, the Kurdish political prisoners started a hunger strike against the isolation policy. This hunger strike has been carried out in shifts by over 2,000 prisoners in 107 prisons.

As a revolutionary, socialist, communist and patriotic movement from Turkey and Kurdistan fighting in Europe, we once again declare that we are opposed to the attacks on prisoners' rights, the torture and the increased isolation of Mr. Öcalan. We welcome the revolutionary offensive “Let's break fascism. Time for freedom” against the wave of attacks by fascism and declare that we are determined to expand this anti-fascist, anti-imperialist, anti-chauvinist and anti-patriarchal struggle in Europe as well. We call on everyone to intensify the struggle on the street in solidarity with the hunger strike in order to break the isolation and to fight back fascism."