As the hunger strikes launched against the İmrali system of isolation continued to the 17th day, Garip Pehlivan, a prisoner’s relative said that if the demands are not met, the families would also participate in the action.
According to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) The indefinite and alternating hunger strikes launched in all prisons on November 27th to end the isolation imposed on the Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan continue and is now on its 17th day.
The relatives of the detainees want their demands to be accepted. Garip Pehlivan, mother of Mesut Pehlivan (29), who is incarcerated in Bünyan No.2 T Type Closed Prison in Kayseri, stated that, as the relatives of the prisoners, they will support the hunger strikes initiated in the prison and that they will raise the voice and the struggle of their children.
Pehlivan said, “If necessary, we will be involved in the action. Let’s support our children so that their demands are fulfilled and system of isolation is broken.
“If the demands are not fulfilled, our children will not give up on the hunger strikes, and they will continue their actions until their demands are met,” she said.
A call for solidarity
Calling on the public to be in solidarity with the prisoners and their relatives, Pehlivan said, “Unless we protect them, the pressure applied on the prisoners will only increase.”
Recalling that she had also participated in the hunger strike protests launched on November 8th, 2018 again supporting her son’s struggle against the isolation system in İmrali, Pehlivan said, “I call out to all families to protect our children.’’
Making a direct call to the Ministry of Justice, mother Pehlivan said, “I ask the Minister of Justice, if his child were in our child’s place, would he be comfortable? No, he could not be at all comfortable and we are not comfortable. The minister did not fulfill the promise he gave to us last year. The Minister promised that the isolation will be lifted when the hunger strikes end. And we know that the isolation was not lifted,’’ she said.
Call from prisoners on hunger strike in other prisons
Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reported that a 2nd group in Ceyhan M Type Closed Prison, took over the hunger strike against the isolation system in Imrali and called for solidarity regarding their actions.
In Adana Ceyhan Type M Closed Prison, Ömer Toluk took over the hunger strike demanding the isolation imposed upon Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan be lifted. Toluk called for solidarity and support of his actions from the public with the message he shared through his family.
Stating that their actions will continue until the isolation ends, Toluk said, “Our friend Mehmet Emin Ado continued his hunger strike for 5 days in Ceyhan Prison. Now I am continuing the hunger strike. Our friends Zafer Bahadır and Mustafa Özer will take over respectively, ” he said.
