Statement of German member of Parliament on hungerstrike in Turkey

Hunger strike against solitary confinement in Turkey

(Article in the news agency ANF)

https://deutsch.anf-news.com/menschenrechte/hungerstreik-gegen-isolationshaft-in-der-turkei-48489

English translation:

Several prisoners are on hunger strike against the conditions in Turkish prisons; their health is now extremely critical. Member of the Bundestag Cansu Özdemir criticizes the silence of the German government.

In a recent statement, Left Party politician Cansu Özdemir expressed concern about the conditions in Turkish high-security prisons. She called on the German government to speak out clearly to Ankara against the continued use of solitary confinement. The reason for this is ongoing hunger strikes by political prisoners in Turkey—some of whom are now in life-threatening condition.

Expansion of torture precautions

For two years, dozens of political prisoners in Turkey have been transferred to so-called S- and Y-type prisons—high-security facilities with near-complete isolation. Those affected report 23 hours of solitary confinement daily in small, poorly ventilated cells, without adequate light or human contact. Human rights organizations and lawyers consider these prison conditions a form of torture, as they deliberately cause psychological and physical attrition.

Indefinite hunger strike and death fast

In protest against these conditions, several prisoners have declared an indefinite hunger strike. Twelve of them have been on it for months. As the prisoners’ aid organization TAYAD recently reported, Serkan Onur Yılmaz (on an indefinite hunger strike for 346 days) and Ayberk Demirdöğen (on an indefinite hunger strike for 226 days) have now even begun a death fast. This means that they are refusing not only food but also any liquid. A total of three of the prisoners are currently said to be in a particularly critical condition.

Life-threatening health condition

The situation of Fikret Akar, who has been on hunger strike for 206 days (as of October 21), is particularly dramatic. He is incarcerated in the Karatepe high-security prison in Çorlu. He is reportedly severely emaciated, suffers from circulatory problems, and his body can barely absorb sugar—his last source of energy. His central demand: an end to solitary confinement and his transfer to a normal prison regime.

Despite a temporary transfer, Serkan Onur Yılmaz continues his protest – now a death fast. He wants to ensure that his fellow prisoners are also released from isolation. According to his relatives, his physical condition is “extremely critical”: shortness of breath, muscle cramps, and severe pain dominate his daily life.

International media remain silent

While international media have so far barely reported on the hunger strikes, criticism of Ankara’s prison policy is growing in Turkey and parts of Europe. Human rights organizations are calling for “death rows,” and members of parliament and lawyers are calling for an end to the isolation. Numerous solidarity rallies and press conferences have been held – often at the risk of state repression.

“Clear statements against authoritarian action”

Hamburg Bundestag member Cansu Özdemir (DIE LINKE) stated: “The conditions in Turkish high-security prisons, and especially the years of solitary confinement, are clearly to be condemned. Now several prisoners are in mortal danger because they began a hunger strike months ago in protest against their dire prison conditions. This news shocks me.”

Özdemir calls on the German government to lobby the Turkish government for a transfer of prisoners and an end to solitary confinement. “Instead of the German government’s window-dressing appointments in Turkey, we finally need clear statements against the authoritarian approach in Turkey,” the politicians criticize.

Resistance and despair

The call for greater international engagement is also supported by human rights initiatives. Observers warn that the silence of Western governments is de facto contributing to the stabilization of Turkey’s repressive prison system. The hunger strikes are an expression of desperation, but also of political resistance against systematic oppression.

Anyone who would like to support the protests can do so, among other things, via an ongoing petition:

https://www.change.org/p/stop-torture-in-turkey-s-s-r-y-type-isolation-prisons?source_location=petition_update_page