Ecevit Piroğlu, a Kurdish political activist under threat of extradition from Serbia to Turkey, has reached day 100 of a hunger strike in protest at his unlawful and arbitrary detention by Serbia’s immigration authorities, which continues despite a ruling by the Belgrade Court of Appeal against his forced return.
Serbia is ignoring its own court rulings under pressure from the Turkish government, Piroğlu said in an exclusive statement shared with Medya News:
“Serbia is ignoring its own court decisions, constitution, decisions of the United Nations and the ECtHR [European Court of Human Rights], in the face of political pressure from the fascist AKP [Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party] administration.”
“The government of Serbia has been holding me unlawfully for three years in prison even though the decision to deport me has been annulled, and despite [other relevant decisions] in my favour,” Piroğlu continued, adding that he was being persecuted for his political identity.
Piroğlu, a Kurdish citizen of Turkey, became involved in the socialist revolutionary movement in 1992. As a former director of Turkey’s Human Rights Association (İHD), he campaigned against the persecution of Kurds and other ethnic and religious minorities. In 2013, an arrest warrant was issued against Piroğlu for his involvement in mass demonstrations against the government that started in Gezi Park in Taksim, Istanbul.
He subsequently travelled to northern Syria (Rojava) to join anti-ISIS efforts that led to the territorial defeat of the extremist group in 2019. He then travelled to Serbia, but was arrested there in June 2021 in response to a request from Turkey for his extradition. After a number of court hearings extending over two years, the Belgrade Court of Appeal ruled in May 2023 that he must not be forcibly returned to Turkey.
The jailed activist began his hunger strike on 12 February in protest at his continued detention, and marked day 100 on Wednesday 22 May. Piroğlu’s health has deteriorated rapidly. His weight had dropped to 50kg by 9 May and he has not received sufficient medical care, according to Amnesty International who have taken up his case with an Urgent Action appeal.
Supporters in Europe have also launched a recent freedom campaign for Piroğlu.
In a recent audio statement recorded behind bars and shared by the Freedom for Ecevit Piroğlu Campaign, Piroğlu expressed determination to continue the hunger strike until his demands are met and “for the working class and proletariat worldwide and for the freedom movement in Turkey and Kurdistan”, vowing to overcome oppression.
