A new hearing in the trial of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) former co-chair, Figen Yüksekdağ, was held in Ankara.

Yüksekdağ talked about the hunger strike in prisons led by the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) co-chair and HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven, who has been on hunger strike for 124 days demanding the end of isolation against Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

"Today, in the prison where I am held like in all other prisons, a hunger strike is going on demanding the end of isolation in Imrali. This hunger strike opened the way to peace politics. As I said before, the crisis in Turkey is not independent from any reality. Today there is a deep crisis in Imrali due to the isolation and the non-solution of the Kurdish question.

Leyla Güven, DBP co-chair Sebahat Tuncel and Hakkari former deputy Selma Irma are on hunger strike trying to put an end to the further falling of this country into a deep black hole and deep crisis.

On Women's Day, 8 March, it was women again who pointed to the same thing and showed once more where the way to solution was. Three years have passed and again women are pointing to the way to solve the same issues.”

Risk of deeper crisis after 31 March elections

Yüksekdağ stressed that isolation policies should be stopped immediately and that the political power has lost the ability to govern.

“The political institution - she said - is in a total deadlock. It is experiencing a political and economic crisis.

After the [31 March] elections, this economic and political crisis will get much deeper. Because the political power has lost also its calm together with the ability to run the country.”

Yüksekdağ added: “We are proud of the heroes of Cizre like Mehmet Tunç. As we keep resisting, they keep collapsing.”

Ending her remarks, Yüksekdağ invited the people to give a strong response to this ruling power on 31 March. "I believe - she said - that our peoples will once again embrace the HDP. So far, despite all the obstacles they managed to go to the polls and they will do so once again on 31 March. I urge people to defend their rights and their future on 31 March and beyond.”

The hearing was postponed to 19 April.