İSTANBUL- Attorney Gülizar Tuncer who underlined that they have tried really hard for the investigation of the gas they used in the operation they named 'Return to life' said: "For years the courts have been asking the composition of the gas. Finally we are waiting for the reports that will be coming from İstanbul University."

 

Political prisoners especially from Bayrampaşa and Ümraniye prisons have started a hunger strike to protest the Type F (cells) prisons that will be replaced with the ward system on October 20, 2000 with 19 demands. The prisoners turned their hunger strike into a death fast on their 45th day. Government intervened the prisoners under the name 'Return to Life Operation' when the strike started to expand. In the simultaneous intervention made in 20 prisons, various chemicalswere used and the operation lasted  3 days. 32 people lost their lives during the operation, 30 of them was prisoners, and 2 soldiers died.Hundreds of prisoners were injured for life.

 

Gülizar Tuncer who was an attorney at the time and witnessed what happened, commented on the purpose of the operation.

 

Tuncer stating: 'The history of the Republic of Turkey is the history of the massacres of the state', said numerous massacres have happened in the prisons of Turkey but eventually the worst of them was December 19. Tuncer said: "The state  mobilized all its power and carried out an operation with thousands of soldiers, police, special forces, correctional officers  and construction machinery.Thousands of bullets and gas bombs were used here. 30 prisoners lost their lives, hundreds were injured.The preparation of the operation was already done in the media. The operation was watched live. The massacre  were served  on the televisions like a game of spectacle."

 

Tuncer stating that they have been working very hard to make them explain what the gas composed of, said: "Forensics said many gas bombs were used despite the fact that gas bombs are forbidden to use indoors. I've seen the morgue. It was a drastic scene. It was not possible to identify the genders of the bodies. The composition of this gas must be revealed. Even the experts of the state said those gases was prohibited to be used against humans. Thousands of gas bombs were fired inside those prisons. We did our best to make them investigate the composition of that gas.We still don't have any results. Currently we are waiting for the reports from İstanbul University."