Mexmûr (Makhmur) –Inhabitants of the Martyr Rûstem Refugee Camp, also known as Makhmur Refugee Camp, who started a tent protest on December 10, 2022 demanding the physical freedom of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan, have turned their protest into a hunger strike. The hunger strike will be held alternately by different groups of people. The members of the Martyrs Families organization in the camp become the first group that holds the hunger strike.

Viyan Soran was remembered

After a minute’s silence for those who lost their lives in the struggle for revolution and democracy, the hunger strike was started. Yusuf Kara, Co-chair of the People’s Assembly of the Makhmur refugee camp made a speech. Starting his speech by remembering Viyan Soran, who set her body on fire on February 2, 2006 to protest the imprisonment and the aggravated isolation imposed on Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan, Yusuf Kara emphasized that the isolation imposed in Imrali prison is not implemented anywhere in the world.

‘The hunger strike will continue until we receive information about our leader’

Yusuf Kara added, “Today, our leader is kept in an aggravated isolation because he supports free people against capitalist modernity and the extinction of humanity. Fascist states impose this isolation on him for their own interests. They use all the dirty methods to destroy our gains while we want to overcome the fascism that affects our revolution. The tent protest that started in the Makhmur refugee camp 55 days ago has been turned into a hunger strike. We call on everyone, who has a conscience, to support our hunger strike to break the isolation. Our hunger strike will continue until we receive information about our leader.”

After his speech, people chanted slogans such as “Long live leader Apo”, “Life without the leader is impossible” and “No one can darken our day”.