Sena Dolar 

 

ISTANBUL - Lawyer Destina Yıldız, from the Hunger Strike Monitoring Marmara Coordination, stated that the prisoners on hunger strike were given disciplinary punishments and that the prison guards provoked the prisoners. Destine also pointed out that the prisoners on strike in Kandıra Prison were forced to meet with a psychologist to end their protests.

 

The indefinite alternating hunger strike, demanding the end of the aggravated isolation on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan and an end to the violations of rights in prison, has left its 187th day behind. On one side hand, while hunger strikes continue, on the other side, there are increasing violations of rights and denial of prisoners’ access to health rights with the ongoing pandemics.

 

The Hunger Strike Monitoring Marmara Coordination, which was established to detect and report the unlawfulness living in prisons where hunger strikes continue, visited the prisons in the Marmara region between May 4-10. In the report published after the visit, it was reported that 26 lawyers from different institutions interviewed 50 prisoners in 12 prisons and that 612 prisoners were on hunger strike. Lawyer Destina Yıldız, Co-spokesperson of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) Prison Commission, who was in the visiting delegation, spoke to our agency about their visit.

 

‘Execution guards provoking hunger strikers’

 

Stating that in Kandıra No 1 F-Type Prison, some prison guards displayed a personal attitude towards the prisoners on hunger strike, Destina said: "There are attitudes based on provocative rhetoric. In Silivri L-Type Prison, the administration tries to make hunger strikers meet with psychologists like, ‘Meet and end the hunger strike’. In all prisons, those who go on hunger strike are given disciplinary punishment. Currently, there are bans from participating in some activities, but as the process progresses, new disciplinary punishments may be imposed each time. These penalties can reach up to solitary confinement". In addition to all these violations, Destina stated that prisoners who ended their hunger strike due to rotation were not given appropriate food, adding that diet food was given only in three prisons.

 

‘Letters written to the CPT are prevented’

 

Stating that the prisoners sent letters to national and international institutions and organizations against the violations in prisons, but they faced with prevention, Destina said: "Some of them are being sent. There may be obstacles to letters sent to the international institutions and Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT). It was informed that the letters written to the Human Rights Association (İHD) and Civil Society in the Penal System (CİSST) were also confiscated."

 

‘Prolongation of hunger strike poses a risk for prisoners’

 

Reminding that the prisoners went on a hunger strike with the same demand two years ago, Destina said: "There were people who had gone on hunger strike for short or long periods before. Their bodies are already damaged by this. After this process, they go on hunger strikes again in rotation. The body wears out much more and we do not know how long hunger strikes will last. Prolonging this is a much more risky situation for the health of the prisoners. In pandemic conditions, there is a possibility of getting a virus and it is a process that can be overcome much more heavily. Therefore, the demands of the prisoners must be accepted as soon as possible."

 

‘The demands of the prisoners are constitutional, not unlawful’

 

Emphasizing that the prisoners on hunger strike want their voices to be heard, Destina added that the communication channels of the prisoners were also restricted during this process. Destina said: "We all need to listen to the voices of prisoners and be more sensitive to their demands. Prisoners’ demands are not difficult or impossible. In fact, it is the fulfillment of the responsibilities that are recognized in Turkey's constitution and imposed on it by international conventions. Requests for Abdullah Öcalan to be able to meet with his family and lawyers and to meet with an independent delegation have been met before. The state is not required to act against the law." Destina called on the public to embrace the demands of the prisoners.