The Kurdish Turkish political prisoners are on hunger strike to secure the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), imprisoned for years. The hunger strike began on 27 November and is scheduled for 15 February 2024.

In addition to the hunger strike, the prisoners have sent letters of petition to the international authorities and pledge to maintain the strike until their demands are met. Omer Faru Yazmacik, vice-president of the Ankara branch of the Human Rights Association, stressed that conditions for prisoners are “terrible” and that since the pandemic isolation measures have increased. Yazmacik points out that prisoners’ demands must be “heard”.

Yakup Akman is one of the Kurdish political prisoners who have joined the hunger strike campaign. Located in Marmarmara prison (Silivri), he notes that until the situation of Ocalan is restored, the hunger strike will continue: “Accepting this isolation amounts to withstand oppression and we will not get used to it or accept it. We want to inform our people that we have launched a hunger strike against the isolation and detention of Mr Ocalan, as well as a democratic solution to the Kurdish question. We will continue our action until concrete action is taken.”

Legal practitioners, human rights defenders and the Veysi Güne Freedom Lawyers Association (ÖHD) have pointed out the need for a political solution to the Kurdish question.