13.06.1996

Hunger strike in Turkey

The London information bureau of the DHKC (Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front, a leftwing Turkish organisation) issued a press release on June 3. This carried the headline, “More than 1,500 political prisoners are on hunger strike for an indefinite period!” This is a reaction to the ‘May 6 circular’ by the Turkish authorities which has resulted in political prisoners being treated with greater harshness. This includes withholding medical treatment for prisoners, killing some of them (seven DHKC members were killed recently at the Buca and Umraniye prisons) and mistreating the relatives visiting prisoners. The press release also mentions the introduction of “coffin cells” at several prisons.

Revolutionary prisoners have declared a “general resistance”, firstly at Umraniye, Buca and Sagmacilar, and then at another 35 prisons, according to the June 3 press release. According to this, “The revolutionary prisoners formed a Central Coordination of Prisons and by doing this made the decision [that] more than 1,500 political prisoners started a hunger strike. This was started on the May 19.” The prisoners are making a number of demands, first and foremost the cancellation of the ‘May 6 circular’. The June 3 press release ends with the words “Long live the prisoners’ honourable resistance! Long live international solidarity!”

Another DHKC press release on June 11 reports that the hunger strike in Turkey is continuing. “In their support, over 50 people are on hunger strike in London and more people are joining them every day.” It added that a demonstration took place outside the Turkish embassy the same day.

Many of the hunger strikers are Kurds. The Turkish authorities have been conducting a dirty war for a very long time against the country’s large but unacknowledged Kurdish minority. Kurds are on hunger strike now outside the Halkevi Turkish-Kurdish Communisty Centre at 92-100 Stoke Newington Road, London. They call on supporters of the Kurdish cause to join them.

The Turkish regime is one of the world’s most vicious and our Turkish and Kurdish brothers and sisters deserve our support in their fight against oppression. By the time this edition of the Weekly Worker appears, the prisoners in Turkey will have gone without food for a month.

Andrew MacKay