There has been no news from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is held in isolation in İmralı Type F High Security Prison, for 34 months. The rotating hunger strike action started by political prisoners in Turkey and Kurdistan prisons on November 27, within the scope of the campaign launched at the international level to demand "freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, solution to the Kurdish issue" against this situation, has reached its 35th day.

 

Finally, Izmir also participated in the Justice sit-in actions initiated by the families of the prisoners in Wan(Van), Amed(Diyarbakır), Adana, Mersin and Istanbul in support of the campaign.

 

Every day, new people join the Justice Sit-in, which is on its 19th day in Istanbul under the leadership of the Marmara Association for Assistance with Prisoners' Families (MATUYAY-DER). The action, which continues at the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Esenler District Organization building, will be moved to other district organizations of the party every 15 days.

 

Activists participating in the Justice Sit-in demanded the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, whom they drew attention to his role in the democratic solution of the Kurdish issue.

 

One of the activists who has taken his place at the Justice Sit-in since the day it started is Fince Akman. In the 90s, thousands of Kurdish families had to migrate against the state's imposition of rangers. Fince Akman and his family, who migrated to Istanbul from Mêrdîn, where they lived before, are one of them.

 

AN HONORABLE PEACE STRUGGLE

 

Fatma Yılmaz (58), who stated that they had to migrate to Istanbul in 1993 as a result of state pressure from Tasu village of Bedlîs'n Xîzan (Hizan) district, said that she has been fighting for justice since then. Yılmaz said: "The state burned our village, that's why we migrated to Istanbul. I has been fighting for an honorable peace for 30 years. I started the Justice Sit-in action to raise the demand for peace against the state's war policies, I took part in the Peace Mothers Initiative. We do not want war, so we started a vigil here. We also want to hear from Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan. Our children also went on hunger strike for this reason. If it does not yield results, we will take this action to the streets. This process is important for all of us. The state now needs to abandon its war policies. We will continue our struggle, we stand behind our children and our leadership until the end." 

 

'THE STATE SHOWED MY DAUGHTER THE WAY TO THE MOUNTAIN'

 

Birgül Uşar (52), who migrated from Qers (Kars) to Izmir and then to Istanbul in 1991 due to economic reasons, said that she had four children. Stating that one of her children was Ebru Muhikancı (Eylem Ararat), one of the 36 HPG members and YJA STAR members who lost their lives in the Kazan Valley of Colemerg (Hakkari) on October 22, 2011, Uşar said: "My daughter continues her struggle as a Mother of Peace. Stating that his daughter joined the PKK while she was studying at Kars Kafkas University, Uşar said, “My daughter was president at the Kafkas University Student Association while she joined the PKK. She was taken into custody in Kars and was detained for one and a half months and then released. While her trial was ongoing, she was constantly subjected to police harassment and pressure. Several times, state officials blocked my daughter's path while she was at school and showed her the way to the mountain, saying 'You are a terrorist, haven't you gone to the mountain yet?' The state showed my daughter the way to the mountain. My daughter left in 2008. In 2011, she and her 36 friends were murdered in Colemerg as a result of the AKP government's use of chemical weapons." 

 

'CHILDREN OF OPPRESSED PEOPLE ARE PAYING THE PRICE'

 

Stating that they are fighting for their children to have a better future, Uşar said: “When we say freedom, they say war, we will continue to say peace against war. The issue will not be solved by war. We do not want the children of either the Kurdish or Turkish people to die. All mothers' tears are the same, no mother should cry. Because the children of the oppressed people pay the price. Have you ever heard that the children of any person in power, such as the President, the Prime Minister, or a military officer, died in the military? They all do so for a fee. They cannot solve any issue with military policies. What are they protecting from whom, and why are some killing others? It is always the child of the poor who dies. We don't want anyone to die anymore. We will continue to defend peace against war." 

 

'WE ARE ALSO UNDER ISOLATION'

 

Çiçek Çakar from the Peace Mothers Initiative also stated that she participated at that time to support the hunger strike that was launched in 2018 under the leadership of Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chair Leyla Güven and spread to prisons. Çakar said: "We are here for Mr. Öcalan's freedom. We will fight for peace today, as in the past, we cannot give up our actions as long as the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan is not lifted. There has been no meeting with Abdullah Öcalan for about three years. We are also under isolation. We want to contribute to this struggle as a woman, mother, and comrade because our children in prisons are on hunger strike." 

 

'A SOLUTION TABLE SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED WITH ABDULLAH ÖCALAN'

 

Stating that they owe a debt to Abdullah Öcalan as a mother and a woman, Çakar said: “Mr. Öcalan showed Kurdish women women's rights and the value that should be given to women. I think he showed it not only to us, but to all women. We will continue our struggle by taking to the streets if necessary, city by city, country by country. At this stage, we are holding a Justice Sit-in to provide support to prisoners in prisons. I expect all mothers to show solidarity whenever possible. Funerals should not come from prisons. Even if the war continues, we will fight for peace and our rights. If a peace table is not established with Abdullah Öcalan and the rights of the Kurdish people are not given, peace cannot be achieved. As Kurdish mothers say peace, we collect the parts of our children. As long as we say peace, we collect the bodies of our children from dungeons. That's enough, no more mothers' tears. We want to hear from Abdullah Öcalan as soon as possible.”

 

'ISOLATION IS THE REASON FOR SOLDIER DEATHS'

 

Rawşan Döner (57), who has been visiting the Justice sit-ins in Istanbul every day since the day they started, said that he came to visit the sit-in on his return from the hospital even on the day he got sick. Stating that the justice sit-in is important and that all Kurds should support it, Döner said: “The Kurdish people are a very oppressed people and they are right. I want democracy and justice to come to this country. Justice is as necessary as bread and water for all peoples. There is an isolation on Mr. Öcalan. There has been no news for 34 months. These isolation policies are not applied only to him, they are applied to all the people of Turkey. If 12 soldiers are dying today and many are missing, the reason is the isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan. Those who govern this country, especially the president and everyone who says 'I am an artist, a writer, a rights defender', should find a political solution to this issue. Like all peoples of the world, we want an honorable and free life, we want democracy and justice. Mr. Abdullah Öcalan says, "I will solve this issue in a week." Why hasn't anyone heard from him for 34 months? A solution table should be established with Abdullah Öcalan. "Let this war end, neither the children of the Turks nor the children of the Kurds should die."

 

MA/ Esra Solin Dal