56 Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Edirne Prison

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56 people, who are convicted or detained on remand on charge of “being a member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)” in Edirne Type F Prison, have gone on hunger strike in protest of imprisoned PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan not being allowed to meet his lawyer and family.

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş and Hakkari MP Abdullah Zeydan are kept in the same prison.

The hunger strike is on its 3rd day, Ünsal Yücel from the Doğan News Agency (DHA) reported.

What happened?

Öcalan has not been allowed to meet his lawyers on a regular basis since July 27, 2011. He also has not been allowed to meet his family and acquaintances since April 5, 2015.

Öcalan met with Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) members on April 28-29, 2016.

Volunteers from the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), Kongreya Jinen Azad (KJA), HDP, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) had gone on hunger strike.

Later on, Öcalan’s lawyer Mazlum Dinç and brother Mehmet Öcalan met with Öcalan in İmralı on September 11, 2016, which ended the hunger strike.

Demirtaş had gone on hunger strike as well

Demirtaş and Zeydan went on hunger strike “due to the unlawful practices in Edirne Prison and no step being taken to for the hunger strikes to be ended” on March 30.

The hunger strike carried out by detainees or convicts in the cases of PKK and Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Party (PAJK) for 64 days was concluded upon KCK’s call on April 19. (AS/TK)