Arrested Grup Yorum Music Band Members on Hunger Strike for 102 Days

"Look, these are all objectionable"

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They don't let us sing our folk songs, Robeson

my canary with the wings of an eagle

my black brother with pearly teeth

they don't let us sing our folk songs.

Sending a letter to bianet from Van High-Security Prison, Mecit Şenkaya has started his letter with the above lines of poetry from Nazım Hikmet Ran. In his letter, Şenkaya has reminded us that arrested Grup Yorum music band members have been on a hunger strike for 102 days.

Behind bars in Silivri, Gebze and Balıkesir Prisons, over 10 members of Grup Yorum band have been on a hunger strike with the following demands:

* Don't raid İdil Cultural Center,

* Remove the ban on Grup Yorum concerts,

* Remove the wanted lists and warrants against band members,

* Drop the lawsuits filed against Grup Yorum members.

Of the arrested Grup Yorum members, Bahar Kurt has also been on a hunger strike for 77 days, Helin Bölek for 70 days, İbrahim Gökçek for 71 days and Barış Yüksel for 72 days.

In his letter, Mecit Şahinkaya has reminded that Grup Yorum members have been on a hunger strike and recounted the pressures that they suffered after the State of Emergency was lifted.

What happened?

The İdil Cultural Center in Okmeydanı, İstanbul has been raided by the police for eight times over the last two years.

The center where Grup Yorum music band had been conducting its activities was raided by the police in October and November 2016, in May and September 2017 and in October and November 2018.

During the raids, instruments of Grup Yorum members were either broken or gone missing, their music books were also damaged. According to the statement made by the group, a total of 30 people were arrested in these raids. Over ten members of the band are still arrested.

Six members of the band are in the Ministry of Interior's "gray list" as wanted terrorists: İnan Altın, Selma Altın, Ali Aracı, İbrahim Gökçek, Emel Yeşilırmak, İhsan Cibelik. There is also a 300 thousand TRY bounty for those who will report the band members charged with being a member of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C).

Selma Altın and İnan Altın applied for asylum in France.

Its annual "Independent Turkey Concerts" have been banned by the governorship since 2015. The band gave a concert on the Internet on July 1, 2018. (AS/SD)