News Center- Authorities in Turkey deliberately use solitary confinement to punish political prisoners. 10 women political prisoners held in Izmir Şakran Women’s Closed Prison will be kept in solitary confinement for 11 days for starting a rotating hunger strike demanding the lift of the isolation imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and political prisoners.

The names of women are: Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul Provincial Co-chair Berna Çelik, Ayşe Kayra, Esma Başkale, Rahşan Aydın, Mesil Demiralp, Azime Işık, Mehtap Kıyar, Hediye Öztürk, Figen Şahin and Esmer Ayas.

 According to the families of the political prisoners, a warden has been harassing the women by showing them wet towels and a fire extinguisher every 15 minutes since the protests erupted after the elected mayor of Van was prevented from taking up his post. The wardens have also searched their cells three times a month and women political prisoners have been subjected to ill-treatment.