Leyla Güven: Day 163

Kurdish politician Leyla Güven has been on an indefinite hunger strike since November, 2018.

HDP Hakkari MP and DTK co-chair Leyla Güven has reached day 163 of her hunger strike.

She went on hunger strike on 8 November 2018 demanding the end of isolation against Abdullah Öcalan, who is imprisoned in İmralı Prison.

She has underlined that if laws are implemented, the attacks will be reduced, there will be a ray of hope and a possibility that peace is put back on the agenda. As the government authorities did not initiate any democratic practices to this end, up to seven thousand political prisoners in prisons went on hunger strikes in groups with two week intervals. All demand that state abides by the provisions of
existing laws and regulations in all prisons.

The Raise Your Voice for Leyla Initiative has stated that: "All prisoners and their families made calls, sent letters to and asked for appointments from the President, Ministry of Justice of Republic of Turkey, Chairperson of the Parliament, European Committee of Prevention of Torture (CPT), Council of Europe, Members of the European Parliament and parliamentarians of various states, human rights bodies and organisations (9000 e-mails have been sent to this end by ‘Raise Your Voice for Leyla Initiative’).

Nevertheless, none, expect for a few individuals and civil movements, have addressed those that are gradually losing their lives and the public and responded. Similarly, rights violations faced by those on hunger strike have been sent to all relevant authorities. As opposed to this, an independent monitoring
have not yet taken place."

The Initiative added: "Those on hunger strike in prisons are subjected to solitary confinement, those on hunger strike for a long time are not allowed to have people to accompany them, there are efforts to impede their communication with the outside world through imposing disciplinary punishments such not allowing them to receive visits from family members, to make phone calls, to send and receive mails."

Prisoners are subjected to physical and psychological violence. Reports of the Human Rights Association indicate that their blood pressure and weight are not regularly measured, they are not provided with adequate amount of salt, sugar, carbon, lemon, fruit juice and those in their possession are confiscated, and prices of such goods in prison markets are doubled. Those, who have spent decades in prisons struggling against rights violations are at risk of irreversible damage. It is noted that we have experienced difficulties in accessing information about the prisoners due to oppression in the prisons and on the families of prisoners.