Civil society organisations write to Swedish FM on hunger strikes

DTK co-chair and HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven, is on hunger strike since 7 November 2018. That day she said ’stop’ to the totalitarian regime in Turkey.

Nine civil society organisations have written to Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström to inform her of the critical stage reached by hunger strikers.

The letter was delivered at a meeting organized by the Swedish Foreign Affairs Ministry to explain to civil society organisations the work carried out during 2017-2018, when Sweden was a member of the United Nations Security Council.

Yekbun Alp, who joined the meeting on behalf of the Left Party International Forum, talked about human rights violations taking place in Turkey.

"We cannot work due to arrests"

Alp said that the project for Kurdish women prepared by the International Forum in Amed faced great difficulties due to the Turkish state's repression and attacks. Reminding that women taking part in the project are subjected to repression and detention, Alp said: "Sweden must raise it voice to stop the mass arrests in Turkey.”

After her speech, Alp gave a letter addressed to Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström and signed by nine civil society organizations working in Sweden and party.

The letter reminded of the last 3 years of total regime experienced by Turkey during which human rights have been denied and gave concrete examples talking about the attacks suffered by the HDP.

"The AKP-MHP alliance has turned the country into an open prison"

The AKP-MHP government wants to destroy / prevent all kinds of cultural and administration assets of the Kurds, and have a particularly chauvinist and aggressive attitude towards the Kurds, said the letter. The one-man regime in Turkey, adds the letter, has not found an opportunity to attack Norther Syria because of external balance, yet it is imposing all kinds of attacks and embargo to the region.

“The AKP-MHP alliance, - said the letter - which tolerates no opposition, turned the country into an open prison. The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) received in votes about 3.1 per cent of the total Swedish population, i.e. about 6.1 million votes. The HDP is the third larger party in Parliament.

All MPs and municipalities are under tremendous pressure from the AKP-MHP government. Its charismatic co-chairs, Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, have been in prison for nearly 3 years. Today, dozens of MPs and mayors are in prison like Demirtaş and Yüksekdağ. Thousands of politicians and political activists are behind bars.”

"Leyla Güven said ‘stop’ to the authoritarian regime"

DTK co-chair and HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven, is on hunger strike since 7 November 2018. That day she said ’stop’ to the totalitarian regime in Turkey.

“It is the first time that an MP in the history of the Republic of Turkey remains on hunger strike for a long period of time. - said the letter - As you know, hunger strike is used as a last resort when there are no democratic and political channels in the country. Leyla Güven MP has been resisting this genocide regime by using her body.

If you don't know this, it's because there's no free press! Between the years 2013-2015 there was a chance for democracy in the whole country. The most important political actor of that period was Abdullah Öcalan, the PKK leader jailed in Imralı Island prison.”

Isolation of Öcalan must end to give peace a chance

The letter continued: “Leyla Güven's demand is to end such an inhuman treatment. She is saying ‘stop’ this abuse, end isolation of Öcalan and give peace and democracy a chance.”

The nine organisations asked Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström to take immediate action. The organisations that signed the letter are:

Swedish Democratic Kurdish Community Center, Sara Women's Union, Stockholm Kurdish Institute, Rojava Bureau, Sweden PYD, KNK, Amara Women's Assembly, PJAK, Alevi Federation and Solidarity Association.