Call for support for Kurdish prisoners on hunger strike: Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan and all political prisoners!

Kurdisches Frauenbüro für Frieden – Cenî
Kurdish Women’s Office for Peace - Ceni
Corneliusstr.125, D-40215 Düsseldorf
tel. +49 (0) 211 59 89 251, fax: +49 (0) 211 59 49 253
Email : Ceni_Frauen@gmx.de, www.ceni-kurdistan.org


Call for support for Kurdish prisoners on hunger strike: Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan and all political prisoners!

On the 30th anniversary of the military coup in Turkey, a new hunger strike was started by political prisoners in Turkish jails, which has spread day by day and reached a critical level.

Since 12th September 2012, 380 members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Free Women's Party (PAJK) in 39 jails have found themselves on an indefinite hunger strike. The health of the strikers is getting severely worse. Amongst the hunger strikers there are jailed mothers of 60, journalists and minors. Although the hunger strike has reached a life-threatening stage, the Turkish AKP government remains silent. In response, spokespeople for the prisoners have insisted that the hunger strike will continue and that, from the 15th October 2012, all members of the PKK and PAJK that are political prisoners in jails in Turkey and Kurdistan will join the strike. So thousands of political prisoners will now be on hunger strike.

In a declaration by the PAJK prisoners from Diyarbakir prison, the following was stated: “Since July of last year, Mr Ocalan has been exposed to extraordinary conditions of isolation; both the civilian population and the guerrilla forces have been victims of destructive operations; politicians have been attacked through the 'KCK trials'. Roboski was no accident. It was a planned massacre and also the signal for the physical genocide of the Kurdish people.”

The prisoners emphasised in a letter to the public that the hunger strike will continue until their demands are met. Their central demands read: “The lifting of the isolation of Abdullah Ocalan, the guarantee of his health, security and freedom, as well as the full recognition of the Kurdish language – including the right to teaching in the Kurdish language and the lifting of the assimilations policies against Kurds.

The prisoners on hunger strike are not alone!

Ceni – Kurdish Women's Office for Peace – supports the demands of the striking prisoners and calls for solidarity with them. In Europe too we have to listen to the hunger strikers. The war and repression against the Kurdish population in Turkey, but also the growing resistance against the inhuman policies of the AKP government, have reached a level which has shown the urgency of a political resolution to the Kurdish question stronger than ever before. To this effect we support the demand for Abdullah Ocalan's and all political prisoners' freedom in Turkey, which has been raised by the prisoners on hunger strike, as well as the people of all four regions of Kurdistan and by the human rights defenders through the international “Freedom for Ocalan” petition campaign. We are of the opinion that Ocalan's freedom would represent a breakthrough for the democratisation of Turkey and for a peace process in Kurdistan and the Middle East.

Finally, you can make your contribution towards peace and human rights and commit to supporting the lives and health of the political prisoners in Turkey. Through letters and emails to the Turkish Ministry of Interior and Justice Ministry you can demand that the Turkish government listens to the legitimate demands of the hunger strikers.

· Ministry of Interior–Minister of Interior Idris Naim Sahin
T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı, Bakanlıklar / ANKARA
gsekreter@icisleri.gov.tr; mustesarlik@icisleri.gov.tr

· Justice Ministry – Minister of Justice Sadullah Ergin
T.C. Adalet Bakanligi, 06659 Kizilay / ANKARA
info@adalet.gov.tr <mailto:info@adalet.gov.tr> ; Department for prisoners: cigm@adalet.gov.tr <mailto:cigm@adalet.gov.tr>

Furthermore, you can support the international “Freedom for Ocalan” petition campaign, which began on 1st September 2012 and is currently supported by a bus tour through Europe. http://www.freeocalan.org <http://www.freeocalan.org/> .

„Solidarität ist die Zärtlichkeit der Völker“ – Freiheit für alle politischen Gefangenen!
Solidarity is the tenderness of peoples – Freedom for all political prisoners!