From Prisoners to Prisoners

Following is the translation of a letter sent by former hunger srike resister to pit-type prisons in Turkey, Fikret Akar, to political prisoner in Germany, Daniela Klette:

Tekirdağ

Tuesday, 5th of May, 2026

Dear Daniela Klette

I’m sending you greetings and love from all the Free Prisoners at Tekirdağ F-Type Prison.

I wanted to write this letter because my wife told me you’ve recently been arrested and that we can correspond.

To satisfy your curiosity about who I am, I’ll start by introducing myself.

I experienced my first imprisonment in 2001 during the F-Type process. After 12.5 years of imprisonment,

I was released in 2013. The F-Type process is the general term for the isolation campaign carried out in the early 2000s. F-Type prisons consist of cells housing one or three prisoners. Prior to the 2000s, prisoners were held in what we called “dormitory-style” prisons, where 30–40 prisoners shared a single dormitory. In F-Type prisons, prisoners were first physically isolated, and then subjected to isolation-based bans, sanctions, and impositions in an attempt to break their resistance. In response to the isolation campaign, a Hunger Strike—referred to as the “Great Resistance”—was carried out.

This resistance lasted approximately seven years, from October 20, 2000, to January 22, 2007. 122 people lost their lives. I was imprisoned for nearly the entire duration of this period. After my release, I was arrested again in 2017 and was released in November 2019 following 26 months in prison. I was arrested again on August 15, 2024, and my detention is still ongoing. Since the desired outcome was not achieved with the F-Type isolation attack, a new form of isolation known as the “pit-type” was launched around 2022. Pit-type prisons consist of single-person cells with no ventilation, where inmates are granted only one hour of fresh air per day. No sunlight or fresh air enters the single-person cells. This is because, in addition to the bars on the windows, there is a wire mesh with very tight openings—known as “fence wire”—blocking the view. Not only does no air enter, but you cannot even see the sky due to this fence wire. For this reason, our people refer to these prisons as “Pit-Type Prisons.” Otherwise, the official name is “High-Security Prison.”

On February 1, 2025, I was exiled to the pit-type prison in Çorlu, along with five of my friends. On March 30, 2025, I began an indefinite hunger strike to demand my transfer to a non-pit-type prison with proper ventilation, where my friends who were tried in the same case are being held. In accordance with my request, I was transferred to Tekirağ No. 2 F-Type Prison, where I am currently being held. Exactly 250 days later, on December 5, 2025, I ended my indefinite hunger strike. When I began the protest, I weighed around 83 kilograms; by the 250th day, when I ended it, I had dropped to 54 kilograms. Unfortunately, prolonged hunger strikes can lead to certain health issues. My treatment is still ongoing. Aside from pain in my feet, I am not experiencing any serious problems. In this way, I have experienced both F-type isolation and pit-type isolation.

Isolation is the common term today for the ruling class’s campaign of subjugation worldwide. Of course, resistance against isolation through methods such as the Hunger Strike, Indefinite Hunger Strike, and others is important and necessary. However, it is not enough. Because isolation is not a temporary or periodic form of attack. On the contrary, it is a continuous, uninterrupted method of attack in which many different practices are implemented simultaneously. For this reason, resistance against isolation must also be continuous and encompass different paths and methods. To this end, we resist isolation through production. The primary target of the attack is thoughts, the mind. The most effective way to protect thoughts and the mind is through production.

For example, Grup Yorum, a music group that creates music for the people, has been constantly subjected to attacks, particularly over the past 10 years. The Cultural Center where they conduct their work has been raided by the police more than 30 times in the last decade. Currently, around twenty Grup Yorum members are in prison, serving sentences. In other words, they are in prisons, they are prisoners.

Despite this, Grup Yorum has never stopped producing; on the contrary, they have increased their output compared to before. They are producing countless works in fields such as poetry, short stories, novels, research, critical studies, essays, plays, new compositions, and cultural and artistic publications. It can be said that they are effectively turning the prisons where they are held into cultural centers. We, too, are striving to carry out our own creative work—which we briefly describe as “read, write, draw”—to the best of our ability with the resources at our disposal. We try to keep up with events in our country and around the world as much as we can. We publish materials specific to prisons and strive to make our work permanent through these publications. Friends with the skills and interest create handmade gifts like bracelets, necklaces, and keychains using beads and other materials. We try to keep both our minds and bodies as active as possible within the limits of our resources.

I thought I’d introduce myself a bit, but I’ve almost reached the end of the letter without asking how you’re doing. How are you? How’s your health? From what my wife told me, you’re being accused of being a member of a dissolved organization based on actions from a very long time ago. If possible, I’d like to learn about your legal situation to the extent you can explain it. Also, the conditions you’re in (both physical and in terms of treatment), your daily activities, how you spend your time, who you’re staying with—or rather, whether there are people around you with whom you can discuss and assess the developments…

As you can see, there are so many things I’m curious about.

There are currently three of us here. We are with a 27-year-old friend named Umut Yoloğlu and a 37-year-old friend named Rıdvan Akbaş, who is a member of Grup Yorum. Our cell is two-story. The upper floor is the sleeping area, while the lower floor houses the kitchen, bathroom, and our living space—that is, the lower level. The total area of the upper and lower floors is around 50 square meters. We also have a ventilation window measuring 12 by 7 feet. Depending on daylight, we can use the ventilation by keeping the window open from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM in the summer.

Dear Daniela, I hope this is enough for now. I’ll be eagerly awaiting your response. I’d also like to mention that I’m curious about how you assessed the recent political developments in Europe. The entire world, but especially European countries, is increasing military spending to levels that could be described as…. For instance, I find Europe’s current situation very similar to that of Europe before the First World War. Of course, this similarity pertains to the crisis of imperialism. Unfortunately, the level of organization among the people and their political consciousness is weaker and more backward compared to those days. Nevertheless, there is historical experience and accumulated knowledge. This is a topic that deserves a lengthy discussion. I’ve just opened this topic, so I’ll gradually wrap up my letter now.

There are a total of 10 prisoners here in this prison on the same case. I convey the greetings, love, and best wishes of all the Free prisoners. Take care of yourself. With the hope that you will regain your freedom as soon as possible…

Fikret Akar