Mothers have started a hunger strike to lend their voice to the irreversible indefinite hunger strike prisoners have been on for 56 days with the demand to end the oppression policies that cross over to torture and end the isolation in İmralı. The mothers are determined to continue their demonstration until they achieve results and they are protesting the silence of the public.

Prisoners’ families launched a hunger strike yesterday in Amed to support the irreversible indefinite hunger strike in prisons that has entered day 56. The families’ hunger strike will alternate every 2 days and will continue indefinitely. The hunger strike has been launched to raise public awareness as the demands of the prisoners haven’t been met and their health is deteriorating every day and will continue until they achieve results. The demonstration is held in DBP’s provincial branch and one of the activists is Hanife Polat, on hunger strike for her son who has been in prison for 23 years and is currently in Rize Kalkandere Prison. Akpolat said she started the hunger strike against the oppression and tyranny in prisons and added: “Our children have been on a hunger strike for 56 days. They have put their bodies on the line, which is the only thing they have. We stand beside our children so they won’t die. We will also put our bodies on the line until the demands of our children are met.”

“DON’T REMAIN SILENT”

Akpolat called on all peoples and said: “We are calling on everybody to hear the voice from the prisons. If there are a series of deaths, the governing party will be responsible. And all who stayed silent will be the reason for the deaths. Our demand is that the demands of our children are met as soon as possible. End the oppression and tyranny they face. Their bodies are already captive, they shouldn’t suffer more harm and their demands should be accepted. All peoples should hear the voice from the prisons and rise up.”

“HAVEN’T THEY LEARNED THAT KURDS DON’T BOW DOWN?”

Nazime Yürek has 3 children in prisons, and said she can’t sleep. Yürek stressed that she started the hunger strike for the prisoners who put their bodies on the line for their people and added: “The state is killing us, and pushing us out. Like that wasn’t enough, they are burning our cities. Thousands of our youth have been arrested. The youth don’t accept the violence imposed upon the Kurdish people, and they have shown the state that they won’t bow down through this hunger strike. The prisoners have nothing but their bodies. That is why they started a hunger strike. We are prepared to do whatever it takes for our imprisoned children. What do they want from the Kurds? Isn’t the tyranny they imposed for years enough? They arrested all our deputies and co-mayors. The government is constantly threatening us. Haven’t they learned that Kurds don’t bow down?”

“SO OUR CHILDREN DO NOT DIE”

Yürek called on the Kurdish people to rise up and said: “Our enemy is one. We have been oppressed for years. They are killing our children. Now, we shouldn’t stay silent while our children die. We should all lend our voice to theirs so our children won’t die. My children received strict sentences for minute reasons. All 3 of my children received sentences longer than 10 years. I started this hunger strike not just for my children but also for all the prisoners. We stand against tyranny and torture. They see fit to torture our children in every conceivable way. They harrass our children in prisons by installing cameras in their wards. As if the heavy sentences weren’t enough, they also torture our children. I’m here so we won’t be left with our children’s bodies. I’m calling on all mothers to support us.”

“WE WILL COME TOGETHER AROUND OUR CHILDREN”

Behiye Kaya is the mother of Necdet Kaya, on hunger strike in İzmir Şakran Prison for 56 days. Behiye Kaya said she started the hunger strike against the isolation imposed upon the Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the torture in prisons. Kaya said the following: “My son has been on a hunger strike for 56 days in the Şakran Prison. We won’t end our hunger strike until their demands are met. We will come together around our children on hunger strike. We won’t allow the bodies of our children to come out of the prisons. We want everybody to come and support us. I am calling on the authorities. Fulfill the demands of our people. Do something before it’s too late. If something happens, we will be on their necks.”

BAĞRIYANIK: THE İMRALI SYSTEM IS EMPLOYED AGAINST ALL KURDS

TJA activist, İmralı Committee member Ceylan Bağrıyanık who went on the hunger strike with the families stressed that the system in place in İmralı Prison for the last 2 years has turned into a general administrative system and that this could be seen clearly in the massacrist polices against the self government resistances in Kurdistan. Bağrıyanık stated that the İmralı system was attempted to be implemented for all the Kurdish people and said: “This system as a whole had reflections everywhere. The most obvious was in prisons. When we look at the conditions under which our friends in prisons live, we see that they are conditions that no human being can accept, aimed to turn them away from the struggle. Currently a system and policy are in place that exceed the system that emerged after the September 12 coup, especially in the symbolic Amed dungeon. That is why they mention Esat Oktay and say ‘I will employ policies that not only match but transcend his’. The practices include breaking the legs of our imprisoned friends, physically attacking them during visitation and installing cameras in wards they sleep in, and dozens of other practices that are aimed to deprive them of conditions where they can actualize themselves.”

“WE WON’T STOP UNTIL WE ACHIEVE RESULTS”

Bağrıyanık pointed out that the hunger strikes in prisons have reached a point where they now pose a risk of death and continued: “What are the demands by our friends inside? The living conditions in prisons never improved. Oppression and violence were never eradicated. There is a fundamental reason for our friends taking up resistance. What led to this is specifically the demand to remove the İmralı isolation system. Our friends put their bodies on the line to create a base to create freedom for the peoples by smashing the isolation system. With their stark naked will and their bodies, they are developing such a glorious resistance from inside walls. Without a doubt, we have the role and the mission to come together around the demands our friends set forth and to increase this struggle and resistance. Our friends started this hunger strike to break the isolation imposed upon the leader, end the massacres and destruction of cities in Turkey and Kurdistan, have the status of the Kurdish people recognized and end the inhumane practices and conditions in prisons. They have said that they will continue their hunger strike with great determination until these demands are met. We are calling on all on the outside who call themselves democrats, who believe in women’s emancipation, who dream of a more free life and future, and who live for that to come together around this resistance and express democratic dissent in the streets to have these demands met. We started a 2-day hunger strike. But we will continue with different actions until the demands are met.”