Sinn Féin puts question to Irish Parliament about Leyla Güven

"The Irish Government will continue to monitor developments in Turkey both in terms of the hunger strike, and on our wider concerns on human rights, freedom of expression, the rule of law, and democracy.”

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Seán Crowe TD, put a question to the Tánaiste (Irish Government's Deputy Prime Minister), Simon Coveney TD, in the Irish parliament about Leyla Güven’s hunger strike.

HDP Hakkari deputy Leyla Güven has been on hunger strike for 113 days demanding the end of the isolation of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan. Over 300 political prisoners have joined the hunger strike in Turkish and Kurdish jails as well as 14 activists in Strasbourg and several other activists in Wales, Germany, Kurdistan and even Canada.

Seán Crowe TD asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if “his attention has been drawn to the fact that a Kurdish Member of Parliament is on a hunger strike since November 2018; and if concerns for their health and well-being will be raised with his Turkish counterpart. MP Leyla Güven said that she has been released from prison as a result of international pressure but only under tight security conditions and that her health is continuing to deteriorate.”

This was the reply given.

“The Irish Government is aware of and very concerned about the case of Kurdish MP Leyla Güven. As the Deputy would know, the case was raised recently in Dáil Éireann, and we urged the Turkish authorities then to take urgent measures to alleviate the situation, including her release from prison and her immediate transfer to a hospital in order that she receive adequate medical treatment and contact with her lawyers and family. I was pleased when Ms. Güven was released from prison on 25 January but she is continuing her hunger strike and we are very concerned at the deterioration of her health.

We have been conveying our concerns to the Turkish authorities, both in relation to Ms Güven’s case and the arrest of HDP MPs, along with other elected politicians, journalists and academics over the past two years.

On the wider Kurdish issue, it is clear that this can only be addressed through dialogue aiming at establishing a peaceful, comprehensive, and sustainable solution. Ireland has called for the resumption of such a dialogue to allow the political process to resume. We continue to support efforts to maintain contacts between the Kurdish and Turkish sides through our funding of the Democratic Progress Institute’s Turkey Programme.

I want to assure you that the Irish Government will continue to monitor developments in Turkey both in terms of the hunger strike, and on our wider concerns on human rights, freedom of expression, the rule of law, and democracy.”