The hunger strike action initiated by political prisoners in prisons, demanding the physical freedom of PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan and the solution of the Kurdish issue, has reached its 128th day.

 

Abdullah Ocalan and Omer Hayri Konar, Veysi Aktaş and Hamili Yıldırım, who are held in Imralı, have not been allowed to meet with their families and lawyers for 36 months. In order to end the isolation in Imralı and ensure the physical freedom of Abdullah Ocalan, the "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, solution to the Kurdish issue" campaign was launched on October 10, 2023, with simultaneous statements made in 74 centres around the world. 

 

As part of the campaign, political prisoners in prisons also started a hunger strike on November 27, 2023.

 

The prisoners previously stated that they would take their hunger strike actions to a new phase as of February 15, if no steps were taken regarding their demands, postponed these decisions due to the local elections on March 31. In the statement made by Deniz Kaya on behalf of the PKK and PAJK prisoners on February 12 said: "We will continue our rotational hunger strike action, which we started on November 27, 2023, in order to end the isolation imposed on our Leader, and which we announced to the public that we will take it to a new phase on February 15, so that it does not affect the movement outside and prevents the election activities we would like to state that we have extended it until the post-election period so that it does not hinder the elections."

 

The statement also said: "We declare to the public that if the isolation on our Leader continues until after the election, we will take our action to the next level and continue until we get results."

 

In their statement they called on all democratic institutions and circles to take responsibility to meet their demands.