A hunger strike initiated by political prisoners across Turkish prisons has marked its 100th day. Strikers demand liberation for Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, held in isolation on Turkey’s Imrali prison island, and seek a political resolution to the Kurdish issue.
Öcalan and the three other detainees on the island have been held in absolute isolation for over 36 months, denied any contact with the outside world including lawyers and family. Supporters of the Kurdish cause believe the PKK leader must be freed in order to resume a vital role in peace negotiations with the Turkish government.
The hunger strike action began on 27 November in alignment with a broader global campaign titled ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a political solution to the Kurdish Question’, which included simultaneous release of statements from 74 locations worldwide.
With the country’s local elections scheduled for the 31 March, the jailed protesters have taken a strategic decision to support the democratic process by temporarily postponing the next phase of rotational hunger strikes until after the election period.
