Ferhat Tüfenci, who was detained in Esenyurt district of Istanbul on March 19, 2019 and sentenced to 13 years and 9 months by Istanbul Courthouse 35th Assize Court on the charges of “being an illegal organization member” and “committing crimes on behalf of an illegal organization without being a member of an illegal organization”, was transferred from Marmara (Silivri) Prison to Sincan Prison 2 years ago. Tüfenci and Fikret Yiğit, Tahsin Özyıldız and Mazlum Bataray, who were subjected to the same violations, went on hunger strike. Fatih Tüfenci, the older brother of Ferhat Tüfenci, one of the 4 prisoners who have been on hunger strike for 54 days, demanded that the prisoners' demand for an end to the violations be met. 

 

 

Emphasizing that his brother was kept in a solitary cell by the prison administration as soon as he arrived at Sincan Prison, Tüfenci said that prisoners cannot benefit from any of their rights and are subjected to psychological violence.

 

'THEY HAVE SERIOUS WEIGHT LOSS'

 

“Ferhat Tüfenci, Fikret Yiğit, Tahsin Özyıldız, Mazlum Bataray have been on hunger strike for 54 days due to the pressures and usurpation of their rights by the prison administration. I have no information about the food they should be given for the strike. But I would like to draw attention to the fact that they have lost a lot of weight in a very short time. They have lost about 13, 15, 17 kilograms. The hunger strike is still continuing,” he said.  

 

'4 PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE ARE ALSO ILL'

 

Stating that all 4 prisoners on hunger strike are ill. “My brother Ferhat Tüfenci has a cyst on his head and a hernia in his neck. He needs surgery for this. Since the day he left, he has not been transferred to the hospital on time. Since he cannot receive timely treatment, he suffers from serious illnesses. His other companions also have certain diseases. Their hospital transfers and treatments are also prevented,” Tüfenci said.  

 

DEMANDS OF PRISONERS

 

Referring to the demands of the prisoners, Tüfenci said: “Their demands include activities in the prison, which is the right of every prisoner, to benefit from the library, to be transferred to hospitals on time, and 4 prisoners want to be in contact with each other. 2 of them are kept side by side and the other 2 are kept in separate cells.”  

 

Tüfenci called on political parties and civil society organizations to show sensitivity for the prisoners on hunger strike. 

 

MA / Ömer İbrahimoğlu