Category Archives: Hunger Strikes

Women Delegation from Ireland, Britain and Italy Call for Unlawful Prison Policy of Isolation to End

PRESS RELEASE: Diyarbakir, Turkey The health of Hakkari 55 year old MP Leyla Güven, who started a hunger strike on 8 November 2018, has reached a life-threatening stage. Leyla Güven, who is on the 67th day of a hunger strike, has become too weak to meet with her lawyers. Leyla has a brain tumour. She…

Erdogan denies concessions but ‘not opposed’ to talks with Ocalan

KT News: Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan today acknowledged the role of PKK leader Abdulla Ocalan in ending the hunger strike by thousands of Kurdish political prisoners while insisting that the government had made no concessions. “We have not promised anything to Ocalan”, he told the Turkish newspaper Milliyet. Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share…

Hunger strikes end after call by Ocalan

KT News and Comment: Up to 10,000 Kurdish political prisoners today ended their hunger strike. This was in response to the message issued by PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan through his brother Mohammed who visited him yesterday on Imrali island, where Ocalan has been held prisoner for more than a decade. Ocalan called on the prisoners…

LA solidarity hunger strikers challenge media silence

By Luqman Barwari: On Monday, November 12, 2012, a 48-hour hunger strike in front of the CNN-Los Angeles building was organized by Kurdish National Congress of North America and Kurdish Americans of California to express solidarity with the 10,000 Kurdish political prisoners who have been on hunger strike in Turkey, some since September 12, 2012….

Hunger strike in Madrid in solidarity with Kurdistan political prisoners

 By YESCA (Castilian Youth): Kurdistan citizens in Madrid have joined the hunger strike that started in September 12nd when 63 Kurdish political prisoners in Turkey began a hunger strike for a political solution to the Kurdish conflict, and that nowadays involves thousands of people (around 10,000) striving in different prisons across Turkey. Bookmark on Delicious…

Lives of hundreds of Kurdish political prisoners in Turkey must be saved

Urgent appeal: To the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), To the Parliament of the European Union, To the Parliament of the United Kingdom, To Amnesty International, To Human Rights Watch, To international media outlets, and To all political parties, trade unions and freedom lovers across the world: We are writing to you…

Urgent Action: Hunger strikers denied medical care

By Amnesty International: Hundreds are on hunger strike (some of them since 12 September) in prisons across Turkey. Lawyers told Amnesty International that prison authorities have denied many hunger strikers access to medical care, further threatening their health. Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on…

LA Kurds plan solidarity hunger strike

Press Release by KNC-NA: Los Angeles, CA – As members of the Kurdish National Congress of North America (KNC-NA) and the Kurdish Americans of California, we will hold a 48-hour hunger strike in front of the CNN building in Los Angeles, starting on Monday, November 12th. Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin…

PM Erdogan must respond to the demands of the Kurdish hunger strikers

By Peace in Kurdistan Campaign: OPEN LETTER TO TURKISH PRIME MINISTER TAYYIP ERDOGAN Hundreds of Kurdish prisoners are now taking part in a hunger strike which they have declared is to be indefinite. This hunger strike began on 12 September, a not insignificant date in Turkey’s political history, with 63 people, including 13 women, in…

Kurds are dying for their existence in Turkey: Hunger Strike weapon of last resort

By Dr. Aland Mizell: I am not arguing or asking Turkey to give the Kurds rights, but I am asking who gave Turkey or Islamists the right to deny Kurdish basic rights, such as birth rights to a right to life, a right to speak, a right to worship, and a right to a fair…

Millions back hunger strikers in north Kurdistan

KT News and Comment: Millions of people in north Kurdistan are today supporting a mass strike and protests to demand freedom and show solidarity with more than 700 Kurdish political prisoners who have been on hunger strike since 12 September. In the city of Dyarbakir,  it’s as if the whole population of one million people…

In solidarity with political prisoners on hunger strike

By Kurdish Human Rights Advocacy Group: The Kurdish prisoners in Turkey are continuing their hunger strike. Please spread the news about the strike. Send the appeal letter to the Turkish consulates, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Secretary General of the United Nations, human rights organizations urging them to act swiftly to ask…

Turkey: Prisoners’ health deteriorating in hunger strikes

By Ayça SÖYLEMEZ, bianet: The Peace and Democracy Party’s (BDP) Mersin Deputy Ertuğrul Kürkçü spoke to bianet about the trying conditions in prisons where hundreds of inmates launched a hunger strike over a month ago. Lawyer Cemil Özen also warned about the prisoners’ deteriorating health condition. Ertuğrul Kürkçü drew attention to the insanitary conditions and prisoners’…

Turkey: Respect the rights of hunger strikers

Amnesty International Press Release: Amnesty International is concerned at reports that the Turkish authorities are failing to respect the rights of prisoners on hunger strike. Hundreds of prisoners continue to be on hunger strike across dozens of prisons in Turkey, some of them since 12 September. The hunger strikes were initiated as a protest against the authorities’ longstanding…

BDP calls on international opinion to act on hunger strike

By ANF News Agency: Prisoners’ health rapidly deteriorating The BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) has called on international public opinion to act as the hunger strike undertaken by political prisoners in Turkey reaches a critical stage. “The AKP Government’s ongoing pressure such as detentions against Kurds and democratic people have caused a big political crisis”,…