Impressions from the hunger strike in Strasbourg
Impressions from the hunger strike in Strasbourg
Sixteen days have been left behind the hunger strike started by 400 prisoners including Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) jailed deputy Selma Irmak, Faysal Sarýyýldýz and Ýbrahim Ayhan. While acts are expanding with more and more participation and support every passing day, Mardin MP Gülser Yýldýrým has also announced that she joined the act as of March 1st. The first group of indefinite hunger strikers began their strike on the 20th of January 2012 to coincide with the 13th anniversary of Abdullah Öcalan’s handing over to Turkey as a result of an international conspiracy.
While the Kurdish people are supporting the indefinite-irreversible hunger strike started by Kurdish prisoners in Turkey’s prisons, 15 people have also gone on a hunger strike yesterday in Strasbourg where the European Council, European Parliament, European court of Human Rights and Committee for the Prevention of Torture are located. As more and more people join alternate hunger strike acts in many cities of Turkey, the acts will also be started and supported in different European cities in the coming days.
A group of protestors, naming themselves as Initiative for Freedom for Öcalan, on 1st March started their act in Strasbourg with a press statement in front of the European Council building. The protest act continued with a sit-in act in St.Maurice church where church authorities agreed to provide protestors with a place to stage their act. The act of strikers began after the arrangement of the place provided by church authorities.
Among 15 protestors, including five women, who gathered to join the act from different countries in Europe, most of them are for the first time going on a hunger strike.
Among them, 65 year-old Arslan Akter came from Holland to join the act with many others. However, protestors didn’t agree to his participation because of his age and the health problems he suffers. “I risk death and I will stay here till the end of the act”, says Arslan Akter and makes tea to give support to the protestors.
Akter had also joined the Long March from Geneva to Strasbourg from February 1 to 18, refusing to leave his comrades alone in the struggle.
While the first day of the act in Strasbourg passed with preparations and short visits by supporters, the following days are expected to witness solidarity acts to be staged as a support to strikers.
The Initiative for Freedom for Öcalan, the organizer of indefinite-irreversible hunger strike acts, stated that they expect acts to expand in the next two weeks. The Initiative noted that hundreds of people will be coming to Strasbourg in the coming days to start five-day alternate hunger strike acts in groups.
Among the demands of protestors are the elimination of the strict isolation of Öcalan, attempts towards Öcalan’s health and safety issue by CPT and the European Council, elimination of increasing fascist pressures and non-status position of the Kurdish people.
40 year-old Gönül Kaya among protestors came from Germany to join the indefinite-irreversible act for the first time in her life. Kaya, spokesperson for the Initiative for Freedom for Öcalan, says that; “I am a woman and a Kurdish citizen and both of these identities are under pressure in Kurdistan territory.” Kaya reacts to the EU and the U.S. for turning a blind eye to the severe isolation on Öcalan who – she underlines- plays a key role in the solution of the Kurdish problem. The main demand of our acts is the recovery of Öcalan’s health and security conditions, notes Kaya and calls the Kurdish women to perform a stronger participation in acts.
“The current process is the phase of liberation”, says another striker Erol Polat and remarks that they will not take a single step backwards until the fulfillment of protestors’ demands. “We are ready to sacrifice ourselves for our people”, adds Polat.
While the Kurdish people are supporting the indefinite-irreversible hunger strike started by Kurdish prisoners in Turkey’s prisons, 15 people have also gone on a hunger strike yesterday in Strasbourg where the European Council, European Parliament, European court of Human Rights and Committee for the Prevention of Torture are located. As more and more people join alternate hunger strike acts in many cities of Turkey, the acts will also be started and supported in different European cities in the coming days.
A group of protestors, naming themselves as Initiative for Freedom for Öcalan, on 1st March started their act in Strasbourg with a press statement in front of the European Council building. The protest act continued with a sit-in act in St.Maurice church where church authorities agreed to provide protestors with a place to stage their act. The act of strikers began after the arrangement of the place provided by church authorities.
Among 15 protestors, including five women, who gathered to join the act from different countries in Europe, most of them are for the first time going on a hunger strike.
Among them, 65 year-old Arslan Akter came from Holland to join the act with many others. However, protestors didn’t agree to his participation because of his age and the health problems he suffers. “I risk death and I will stay here till the end of the act”, says Arslan Akter and makes tea to give support to the protestors.
Akter had also joined the Long March from Geneva to Strasbourg from February 1 to 18, refusing to leave his comrades alone in the struggle.
While the first day of the act in Strasbourg passed with preparations and short visits by supporters, the following days are expected to witness solidarity acts to be staged as a support to strikers.
The Initiative for Freedom for Öcalan, the organizer of indefinite-irreversible hunger strike acts, stated that they expect acts to expand in the next two weeks. The Initiative noted that hundreds of people will be coming to Strasbourg in the coming days to start five-day alternate hunger strike acts in groups.
Among the demands of protestors are the elimination of the strict isolation of Öcalan, attempts towards Öcalan’s health and safety issue by CPT and the European Council, elimination of increasing fascist pressures and non-status position of the Kurdish people.
40 year-old Gönül Kaya among protestors came from Germany to join the indefinite-irreversible act for the first time in her life. Kaya, spokesperson for the Initiative for Freedom for Öcalan, says that; “I am a woman and a Kurdish citizen and both of these identities are under pressure in Kurdistan territory.” Kaya reacts to the EU and the U.S. for turning a blind eye to the severe isolation on Öcalan who – she underlines- plays a key role in the solution of the Kurdish problem. The main demand of our acts is the recovery of Öcalan’s health and security conditions, notes Kaya and calls the Kurdish women to perform a stronger participation in acts.
“The current process is the phase of liberation”, says another striker Erol Polat and remarks that they will not take a single step backwards until the fulfillment of protestors’ demands. “We are ready to sacrifice ourselves for our people”, adds Polat.
