Hunger strike in prisons enters day 39

The eight group of prisoners is carrying out the hunger strike against isolation and violations of their rights on its 39th day.

Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan continues to be kept in total isolation in Imrali prison island. Political prisoners in Turkey and Kurdistan have launched an indefinite and alternate hunger strike on November 27 to demand the end of isolation as well as the end of violations in prisons.

The hunger strike has been taken over by the 8th group of prisoners and has entered its 39th day.

The authorities in prisons and the Ministry of Justice, far from meeting the demands of the prisoners, imposed on them punishments due to their democratic action.

Berivan Korkut from the organization CISST (Civil Society in the Prison System) said on Sunday that hunger strikes are much more dangerous than before due to the Coronavirus pandemic. She calls on the Turkish authorities to seek dialogue with the prisoners and solve the existing problems.

In a statement released in November, PKK and PAJK prisoners said;  "We are launching an indefinite five-day alternating hunger strike in groups until the absolute isolation imposed on our people is overcome. In the meantime, we renew our call once for the CPT (Committee for the Prevention of Torture) to assume its responsibility to prevent torture and inhuman treatment, to fulfill the requirements of being an independent institution, to observe the rights violations in all prisons, especially in Imralı, and to do what is necessary. Through more organized thinking and emotion, the isolation on our Leader and the peoples can be broken and fascism can be defeated, and the resistance can be crowned with victory.