Petition Launched for Leyla Güven

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Leyla Güven, an MP for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and Co-Chair of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), has been on a hunger strike for 75 days with the aim of the isolation on Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan to be lifted.

A petition has been launched on change.org in support of Güven. More than 3,800 people have signed the petition in four days. The target is 5 thousand people.

“We call for all women at first and people believing in peace to be in solidarity with us for lifting the isolation conditions and sign this letter,” the petition says.

“300 convicts are also on hunger strike”

The following remarks are made in the petition:

“On 8th November 2018, Leyla Güven started the hunger strike demanding the lifting of the condition of isolation on Kurdish People’s leader Mr Abdullah Ocalan who has been held at Imrali Island Prison for 20 years.

“After Leyla Güven has started the hunger strike, almost 300 political prisoners in different prisons of Turkey have also begun the indefinite and irreversible hunger strike with the same demands and these strikes still continue.

“She demands it because the isolation which has been maintained in violation of national and international law is an attack on the people of Turkey and their desire to live together in peace. It is an obstacle to a democratic solution to the Kurdish Question in Turkey.”

What happened?

Leyla Güven was detained on January 22 due to her social media posts and statements about Afrin operation, and arrested on January 31.

Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has filed lawsuits over 14 statements for the press, funeral and meeting she attended from 2016-2018.

Güven faces from 17.5 to 31.5 years in prison on charges of "founding and managing an armed organization", "propagandizing for an illegal organization", "inciting people to attend unlawful rallies and demonstrations", "being a member of an illegal organization". (AS/VK)

*You can join the petition from this link.