European Union Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) chair, Prof. Kariane Westrheim, met with the Office of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to talk about the hunger strike resistance demanding the end of isolation against Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

European Union Turkey Civic Commission member Dr. Dersim Dagdeviren and HDP Council of Europe representative Fayik Yagizay also joined the meeting and presented a file containing the demands of the hunger strike resistance led by Leyla Güven and about the health situation of the activists.

After the meeting Kariane Westrheim said that they discussed the situation of the hunger strikers and conveyed the health situation of the strikers to the EC officials.

Only way: Ending isolation

Reaffirming that they support the hunger strikers’ demands. Kariane Westrheim, told the Office of the General Secretariat of the EC that it is important to urge the Turkish state to end isolation. The EUTCC added that it is important to remind the Turkish state that it has to comply with the ECHR conventions they signed. 

Westrheim said that the only way to avoid other deaths is ending isolation.

Westrheim added that over 7,000 activists and prisoners are on hunger strike and that the only person who could stop the hunger strike is Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

The EUTCC added that it is urgent to accept the demands of the hunger strikers and added that the Kurdish question could be resolved with diplomatic initiatives.

Officials of the General Secretariat of the EC said that they held diplomatic meetings with the Turkish state and that they would continue negotiations for the solution of the problem.