Leyla Güven Not Able to Meet Visitors in Last 15 Days, Say Rights Organizations in Diyarbakır

*Photo: İHD Diyarbakır Branch

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Rights organizations have held a press conference regarding Leyla Güven, an MP for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) who has been on a hunger strike for 78 days, and the other prisoners on hunger strike.

Demanding that the isolation on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan be lifted, HDP MP and Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-Chair Güven has been on a hunger strike since November 7, 2018.

Diyarbakır Bar Association, Human Rights Association (İHD) Diyarbakır Branch, Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) Diyarbakır Office, Diyarbakır Medical Association and Rights Initiative Association jointly held the conference today (January 24) at İHD Diyarbakır.

"Attempts should be made urgently"

Concerning the indefinite and non-rotating hunger strikes in prisons, the rights organizations have made the following call to the Ministry of Justice, government authorities, national and international communities:

"Considering Leyla Güven's health condition, we remind that her demands should be considered and attempts to end the hunger strike should be made urgently."

"More than 250 political prisoners are on hunger strike"

İHD Diyarbakır Chair Abdullah Zeytun has said in the statement, "Along Leyla Güven, more than 250 political prisoners are also on hunger strike in the prisons of Turkey. In some prisons, inmates are experiencing severe health problems."

"Güven's medical condition gets worse every day"

Following information concerning Güven's medical condition has been given in the press statement:

"Güven's health condition gets worse every passing day. We obtained the information that Güven is tired and exhausted, has lost a serious amount of weight (around 10 kilograms), has troubles with liquid intake because of nausea, has a sensitivity for sounds and noise and in the last ten days, has had complaints of fever.

"Leyla Güven is not able to meet with her attorneys because of the problems with her health in the last 15 days.

"In case the hunger strike continues in this form, we are concerned that multiple organ failure and irreversible consequences will occur." (AS/VK)