> Hunger Striking Turk Inmates Weaken on 'Death Fast' > ===================================== > By REUTERS > > Filed at 11:18 a.m. ET > > ANKARA (Reuters) - The health of some Turkish inmates on the 35th day of a > ``death fast'' hunger strike over planned prison changes has begun to fail, > a human rights worker said on Friday. > > More than 800 leftist Turkish prisoners across the country have gone on > hunger strike to protest against government plans to transfer inmates from > large wards to cells. Forty inmates were beginning to see the symptoms of > failing health for refusing all food and water after vowing to fast until > death. > > ``The situation is growing worse. Many of the hunger strikers are losing > their vision and have memory loss,'' said Mesut Cetiner of the Human Rights > Association (IHD), which is monitoring the unrest. > > Eleven prisoners starved to death in 1996 in a protest against prisoner > transfers. > > The Justice Ministry declined to comment for this story. > > The Anatolian news agency said 31 protestors at a jail in the western city > of Aydin had quit the strike on Thursday. > > Another 815 protesters are drinking small amounts of water mixed with > sugar, Cetiner said. > > Some 30 relatives of the protestors have also gone on hunger strike in > Ankara and the southeastern city of Adana, he said. > > ``We're already dead in our homes as we watch our sons die,'' sobbed a > mother of a hunger striker at an IHD press conference earlier this week. > ``I gave a healthy son to the system and I want a healthy son to come home.'' > > Plans to transfer prisoners to maximum security jailhouses have sparked > criticism among inmates, families and rights activists. They argue the > cells, which hold one to three people, will isolate prisoners, leaving them > vulnerable to assault. > > Turkish police are often accused of torturing those in their custody. > > But authorities say the cell system meets European standards and, moreover, > will break the influence of organized criminals and political prisoners who > recruit and run gangs in the dormitory-style wards with weapons smuggled in > from the outside. > > The government has proposed a general amnesty that would free tens of > thousands of felons to ease the overcrowding. > > The IHD's Cetiner says the amnesty would not affect the hunger strikers, > because the legislation excludes those convicted of political crimes. > > ================================================= >Kurdish Observer - "Health of prisoners is in danger": >==================================== >The health of prisoners from 18 prisons through out of Turkey who went >on hunger strike a month ago to protest single cell prisons is in >danger. > >ISTANBUL > >The number of prisoners who protest single cell prisons is increasing. >It was reported that 816 prisoners in 18 prisons are currently on hunger >strike and some are in critical condition. Despite the fact that >prisoners are step by step getting closer death, Turkish Justice >Minister Hikmet Sami Turk is insisting on single cells. > >Minister Turk argued that single cell prisons were the solution for >issues at prisons and said that the hunger strikes will not prevent them >from converting ward type prisons to single cell prisons. Relatives of >prisons in Adana also went on hunger strike to support their loved ones >in prisons. > >The hunger strike is led by prisoners from DHKP-C (Revolutionary People >Liberation Party-C), TKP-ML(Communist Party of Turkey-Marxist & >Leninist) and TKIP (Villagers and Workers Party of Turkey) cases is >continuing since October 20. Currently, 816 prisoners are participating >from 18 prisons. The brake down of the number of prisoners and prisons >is as follows: Umraniye:248, Cankiri:52, Bursa:47, Aydin:36, >Canakkale:74, Bartin:47, Malatya:47, Gebze:18, Bayrampasa:108, Buca:36, >Ceyhan:45, Ulucanlar:6, Usak:24, Nigde:7, Nevsehir:10, Ermenek:5, >Yozgat:1, Kurkculer:5. > >The protesters are in critical condition after being on hunger strike >for one month. Some of prisoners have symptoms of hunger strike such as >blurry vision and balance problems but they do not accept any treatment. >Izmir Doctors Association set up a health monitor forum for the >prisoners. Doctors called on prison prosecutors to daily monitor prisons >because protesters are in a critical condition. > >In the meantime, 6 prisoners from Cankiri prison, 10 from Bursa, 21 from >Umraniye, and 3 from Aydin have decided to convert their hunger strike >to "strike until death". > >Families are on hunger strike in Adana > >On the other hand, relatives of prisoners in Adana went on hunger strike >in the office of Adana IHD(Human Rights Association) to support their >relatives' actions in the prisons. Fadime Sayay, a spokeswoman for the >relatives of prisoners who went on strike, said that the only way to >stop the death is to work together and continued, "Our children's >request is our request." > >Turk is not sensitive > >The government is turning deaf ears to the prisoners' plea. Justice >Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said that the issue in the prisons is because >of crowded prisons and thus supported single cells prisons. Minister >Turk said that currently prisoners are on hunger strike to protest >converting ward type prisons to single cell prisons. Minister Turk said >that there are 557 people on hunger strike and there was a danger that >the prisoners might convert their strike to "strike until death". >Minister Turk said, "These hunger strikes do not bring any good and thus >they need to end." Turk said that no one should be concerned about >single cell prisons and the issues in prisons due to long negligence. >Minister Turk said that the 57th government is working very hard to >solve the problems in the prisons. > >IHD(Human Rights Association): Government need to be involved > >IHD called on the government to open ways for dialog with 816 prisoners >who have been on hunger strike for 35 days. > >IHD General Secretary Selahattin Esmer released a written statement by >saying that 40 prisoners have converted their hunger strike to "strike >until death". Esmer said the protest need to be solved with involvement >of the government before it reaches to a dangerous level. Esmer called >on the government to give up converting single cells and open a dialog >with the prisoners. IHD Secretary Esmer said that the reason health >issues started earlier with the current hunger strike because most of >the prisoners were the ones who went on hunger strike in 1996. Secretary >Esmer said, "The prisoners are weak, they have problems with walking. >Also they have internal bleeding". > >In the meantime, Executive Council member Hasan Aksu called for >cooperation against single cells in IHD Malatya branch. Aksu said, "We >do not want the government to be responsible for death of prisoners who >are on hunger strike. We call on democratical mass organizations, >political parties, patriotic and intellectual people to stop the single >cells." > >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=".signature" > >Press Agency Ozgurluk >In Support of the Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Struggle in Turkey >http://www.ozgurluk.org >DHKC: http://www.ozgurluk.org/dhkc > >
