End of Hunger Strike: Call for Democratic Solution to Kurdish Question

Speaking after a two-day hunger strike organised in protest at detentions and arrests of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) members, parliamentary group deputy chair Selahattin Demirtaş said:

“The people have shown with this sensitive attitude that it is vital to offer civilian politics a chance. By starving their bodies, they have shown who supports war and who supports peace.”

The hunger strike was organised in a park in Diyarbakır, and around 10,000 people are said to have gathered in tents. The strike finished two and a half hours earlier than planned because of rainfall.

The protest, which began on Sunday, 3 May, was organised to draw attention to operations against the DTP, during which more than 200 people were detained and 52 party members were arrested, including two party deputy chairs and other leading figures.

Throughout the night people sang Kurdish songs and danced folk dances.

"Message must be read clearly"

Batman MP for the DTP, Ayla Ata Akat, said in a speech that the operations were a reaction to the results of the recent local elections.

She reminded the audience that Kurdish parties had been obstructed and closed since the 1990s, and said that this was a new step.

Demirtaş also said, “DTP is the political expression of the people. The government must read this message clearly. If this message is clearly understood and heard by the right places, then peace will come more easily.” (BÇ/AG)