Istanbul prisoner Halil Yakut detailed the harsh conditions he faces in solitary confinement in a letter. “I am allowed out for fresh air for only one hour a day. I am held in a cell without sunlight. The sky is not visible even through the bars on the window. Water cuts are frequent. In short, there is no human face, no human voice! No sun, no water, no air,” Yakut wrote, describing his isolation.
Yakut, who began his hunger strike on April 18, has reported severe health issues including headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, bone pain and specifically rib pain, mouth sores and gastrointestinal problems. “I want my voice to be heard,” he wrote, describing his treatment as “inhumane” and calling for an end to his isolation.
Yakut’s protest echoes previous hunger strikes by political prisoners in Turkey, who have faced similar conditions. In the past, human rights groups have raised alarms about ongoing hunger strikes in Turkish prisons. Lawyer Reyhan Gök from the Diyarbakır (Amed) Bar Association’s Prison Monitoring Committee expressed concern about the lack of response from the government to such strikes, emphasising the state’s responsibility to ensure prisoners’ right to life and health.
In another instance, Kurdish journalist Dicle Müftüoğlu joined a hunger strike in Sincan Women’s Prison to show solidarity with political prisoners protesting their isolation and advocating a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue. Müftüoğlu, detained for her journalistic activities, condemned the suppression of freedom of expression and the harsh conditions faced by prisoners.
Previously, hunger strikes in Turkish prisons have been of significant duration, such as a notable rotational hunger strike by a number of prisoners that reached its 100th day, calling for the release of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish issue. Öcalan and the three other detainees in Imralı Island Prison were and still are being held in strict isolation, with no contact with the outside world, leading to widespread protests and hunger strikes among Öcalan’s supporters in particular.
Halil Yakut’s ongoing hunger strike and the harsh conditions he faces highlight persistent issues within Turkey’s prison system and the urgent need for reform. Human rights advocates and legal experts continue to call for immediate action to address these conditions and ensure the humane treatment of all prisoners.
