“The isolation imposed on Imralı Prison (Imralı Island) is a political reason. The Kurdish prisoners have been subjected to aggravated isolation and other human rights violation for the same reason.”

Lawyer Şule Recepoğlu

There are different opinions about the method of hunger strike and death fast from past to the present. Some people think it is a right and legitimate method while some think it causes serious danger for people. Or some people are against such kind of protest without thinking “Why people launch this protest”.

The main question is why people use the method of hunger strike and death fast. The hunger strike is a method used by prisoners in Turkey against human rights violations in prisons. Particularly, during a period shaped by the political atmosphere, Kurdish prisoners have been subjected to inhumane treatment and rights violations in prisons. The rights violations, isolation, the blockage of democratization processes and etc. determine the methods of seeking rights. One of these methods is a hunger strike. The prisoners take steps and call on the authorities against the attacks, isolation, and violations they face, and when they don’t receive any results, they launch a hunger strike to receive a result and raise awareness of the public.

Limited struggle

The method used by the prisoners is often discussed and criminalized before thinking the demands of prisoners are justified or unjustified. So a large part of society keeps away themselves from hunger strikes or ignores them.  Some people act carefully against hunger strikes even if they feel uncomfortable about the rights violations in the prisons while some people prefer standing against their demands without thinking if their strike is a constitutional right or not because their method is criminalized.

All press outlets play ostrich while they should make the prisoners’ demands heard by the public. Oppressive practices have been carried out to prevent mass protests; lawyers and human rights defenders and legal organizations making the voice of prisoners heard are being criminalized. Consequently, the struggle of opponents, the NGOs founded by them, and their political party speaking out against the inhumane treatments faced by the prisoners turns into a limited struggle.

Hunger strikes in history

History shows us that hunger strikes and death fasts are launched in a country when there is no method to seek rights.  

For instance, when we look at the history of Turkey, a hunger strike/ death fast was launched in 1982 to protest the bad conditions and torture in prisons. Kemal Pir, Hayri Durmuş, Akif Yılmaz and Ali Çiçek lost their lives.

In 1984, prisoners launched a hunger strike demanding the removal of one-type uniform, the end of torture, the improvement of human and social living conditions, and the recognition of the political prisoners’ rights. Six prisoners died in Diyarbakır and Sağmalcılar prisons. Between 1995 and 1996, a mass hunger strike was launched in many prisons of Turkey; two prisoners died in 1995 and 12 prisoners died in 1996.

On September 12, 2012, a hunger strike was launched in the prisons of Turkey demanding the end of isolation imposed upon the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and a democratic-peaceful solution for the Kurdish question. The 68-day hunger strike was ended after the call of Abdullah Öcalan.

In September 2016, a group of politicians launched a hunger strike in Diyarbakır due to the ongoing isolation and the lack of news from Abdullah Öcalan after the coup attempt took place on July 15, 2016. The eight-day hunger strike was ended after Abdullah Öcalan’s brother Mehmet Öcalan visited him in the prison.

Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chair Leyla Güven launched a hunger strike in 2019 and then hundreds of prisoners across Turkey and many people living in other countries joined her hunger strike. Their demands were: The end of isolation imposed upon Abdullah Öcalan and leaving war policies in the Kurdish question.

On November 26, 2020, political prisoners launched a hunger strike in Turkey against the isolation and ongoing rights violations in prisons. Today, the hunger strike has entered its 117^th day.

Special policy for Kurdish prisoners

After the peace process was ended in Turkey, a special policy was begun to be carried out against political prisoners. In particular, sick prisoners have been kept under even more severe conditions after the end of the peace process. The isolation imposed on Imralı Prison is a struggle for justice and life for political prisoners.

The political prisoners have been subjected to inhuman practices according to the political process in Turkey. 

Ongoing inhuman practices

Abdullah Öcalan was visited by his brother after prisoners launched a hunger strike demanding the “end of isolation”. After the hunger strike launched in 2016, his lawyers and family members could visit him. After the hunger strike launched in 2015 and ended 2016, his lawyers and family members could visit him again. Dozens of applications and statements were made to visit him before launching hunger strikes but constitutional rights have always been arbitrarily prevented. The isolation imposed on Imralı Prison (Imralı Island) is a political reason. The Kurdish prisoners have been subjected to aggravated isolation and other human rights violation for the same reason.