Leila Khaled Visits Leyla Güven on Hunger Strike: ‘We Want to Live’

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Leila Khaled, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (FHKC) and a symbolic figure of the Palestinian resistance, was in Turkey to attend the "Peace in the Middle East" conference organized by the Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK).

Khaled also paid a visit to Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-Chair and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Hakkari MP Leyla Güven, who has been on hunger strike for the last 159 days.

'A struggle not to die, but to live'

Speaking in front of Leyla Güven's house after meeting her, Leila Khaled made the following remarks:

"I came to visit my friend Leyla Güven. I am very surprised and shocked at this situation; she is a very strong woman, a revolutionary, a parliamentarian. She has gone on a hunger strike just for the implementation of human rights.

"Dear [Abdullah] Öcalan [imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)] would not want anyone to lose their lives for the end of isolation. I am sure of that. I said the same thing to her as well. There is no such thing in our culture; we are the ones who struggle to live, not to die. We either win a victory or resist. It should be our way."

'I want to be shoulder to shoulder with her next time'

Stating that "Leyla Güven has now turned into an icon of resistance and struggle," Khaled continued as follows:

"She said that she would continue the resistance despite everything. The message of Leyla Güven has spread to the whole world. I told her that the next time I come here, I want to see her healthy and on her feet, I told her that I want to stand side by side with her, shoulder to shoulder with her...

To Erdoğan: 'Show that you value human life'

"And this message is for Dear [President] Erdoğan. It is now time to show that you attach an importance to the lives of people. You imprisoned Dear Öcalan by abducting him, you couldn't have done it in another way.

"For that reason, I am making a call to the government to hear the message of Leyla Güven. Don't let people die just because they defend human rights. They are always saying that they defending human rights, but there are several human rights violations, just as in the case of Dear Öcalan. The communication of Öcalan with his family, attorneys, the press and the outside world has to be opened." (EMK/SD)

* Photographs and news: HDP Press Unit