MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

 Erzincan- On November 27, 2023, political prisoners in Northern Kurdistan and Turkey started a rotational hunger strike, demanding “freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a resolution to the Kurdish question”. The hunger strike will continue until February 15, 2024. The political prisoners have been subjected to many rights violations since the start of the hunger strike. The female political prisoners in Erzincan Women’s Closed Prison were battered and taken to solitary confinement for going on the hunger strike, according to the members of the Lawyers Association for Freedom (ÖHD).

Several days ago, the members of the ÖHD Amed Branch Prison Commission visited the prisons in Erzincan and Erzurum. They told NuJINHA that the hunger strikers were subjected to many rights violations in the prisons.

“They were battered”

On November 27, nine political prisoners announced that they launched a hunger strike. After the announcement, the prison administration tried to put the hunger strikers in solitary confinement, according to the ÖHD members. When hunger strikers refused to be kept in solitary confinement, about 50 wardens raided their ward and tried to forcibly take Dilan Barin out of the ward. When Dilan Barin resisted, the wardens battered Dilan Barin and other female prisoners. The political prisoners filed a criminal complaint against the wardens.

The members of the ÖHD also reported that the hunger strikers in the Erzincan Women’s Closed Prison, Erzurum Dumlu No.1 and No.2 Women’s Closed Prisons have been given only salt, sugar and lemon and that they have not been allowed to shop at the inmate canteen. For this reason, the hunger strikers cannot buy ayran to control their blood pressure. The members of the ÖHD also reported that the hunger strikers have been kept in solitary confinement.

 Letters of hunger strikers are confiscated

According to the received reports, the letters of the hunger strikers are confiscated by the prison administrations because the letters “give moral support and motivate”.

ÖHD to compile a report about rights violations in prisons

The members of the ÖHD Amed Branch Prison Commission will compile a report on rights violations against the hunger strikers in prisons. In an interview with NuJINHA, the members of the ÖHD called for the end of rights violations against the prisoners and noted that they would continue to visit prisons.