Scores of prisoners started an indefinite and rotating hunger strike on November 27 due to the aggravated isolation on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the conditions in prison getting worse due to the pandemic. The hunger strike prisoners do in groups for five days is on its 19th day. Sertaç Kılıçaslan hunger striking with the last group in Kırıklar prison of İzmir told his family why they were hunger striking and listed their demands.

 

WE AIM ÖCALAN'S FREEDOM

 

Stating that he has been in prison for 15 years and participated in the 2012 and 2018 hunger strikes, told that their demand was the removal of the isolation on Öcalan the last two times. Explaining that they demand Öcalan's freedom this time, Kılıçaslan said: "So, why do we want him to be free? Because peoples can not be free when their leader is not free. The Kurdish people says their leader is Öcalan. How can the leader of a whole community can be held behind bars? Is this acceptable? This is not acceptable anywhere in the world. The approach to the people is the same with the approach to its leaders. Whenever the Turkish state releases Öcalan, then we can say the will of the Kurdish people is recognized by Turkey."

 

'WE WANT THE FREEDOM OF THE SOCIETY'

 

Explaining that peace, democracy and freedom will come to the Middle East and Turkey if Öcalan is free, Kılıçaslan said: "This is what we want. We don't just want one person to be freed, we started this hunger strike for the freedom of the people of Turkey and Kurdistan. We want the freedom of the society. And this is also what the society wants."

 

KILIÇASLAN WARNS THEY CAN TURN TO NON-ROTATING HUNGER STRIKE

 

Stating that the hunger strike is rotating for the time being, Kılıçaslan said: "We will start a non rotating hunger strike if our demands are not met. And our people should support us. Not a handful of people but the whole society."

 

 

 

MA / Ferhat Çelik