Corpse of Inmate Akıcı Sent to Her Hometown

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Yonca Akıncı, who has been arrested for four years at the Şakran Women's Closed Prison in İzmir province, has lost her life.

After her death in yesterday (April 1) morning, an autopsy was performed on her corpse at the Forensic Medicine Institution and the corpse was sent to her hometown Ağrı.

Akıcı had been on a hunger strike since March 1, demanding the isolation on the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) imprisoned leader Öcalan be lifted. She allegedly attempted to end her life on March 29.

Akıcı was hospitalized at the Çiğli State Hospital while she was heavily injured. She was under intensive care.

HDP MP: Ministry of Justice in Responsible

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) İzmir MP Serpil Kemalbay tweeted on Akıcı's death yesterday.

"Yonca Akıcı passed away. A well and sound woman suspiciously lost her life at the Şakran Women's Closed Prison! Yonca Akıcı had been on a hunger strike against the isolation since March 1 with more than five thousand prisoners. The ministry of Justice @AdaletBakanligi is responsible for her death."

HDP Co-Chair Temelli: "No more deaths!"

HDP Co-Chair also tweeted on the issue, saying, "Yonca Akıcıhan ended her life like Zülküf, Ayten, Zehra and Medya, for the isolation to end. Leyla Güven has been on a hunger strike for 146 days for this unlawfulness to end! No more deaths!"

HDP MP Güven: "Don't end your lives"

HDP MP and Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-Chair Leyla Güven, who has been on an indefinite and non-rotating hunger strike since November 7, 2018, called the inmates to not end their lives on March 24.

"I want you to gather around the hunger strikes and not do self-sacrificing acts. Honestly, they make me lose strength. Whatever I do, they affect me emotionally, they increase the burden on me. I can't move along like this. I hope that my friends will behave like this and we will make our protest end in success.

(AS/VK)