ISTANBUL - Emphasizing the importance of the indefinite alternating hunger strike that started by political prisoners to abolish the isolation imposed on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan and end the violations of rights in prisons, ESP(a left party in Turkey)  Co Chair Özlem Gümüştaş said ‘‘The patriotic prisoners on hunger strike call for a general resistance to the whole society with the call to 'end fascism, occupation, isolation, it’s time to ensure freedom’’.

 

While  President Tayyip Erdogan's talking about "judicial reform" statements recently, many people were detained and arrested within the scope of political operations. One of the statements of President Tayyip Erdogan was: "We will not exclude anyone in the reform, our door is open to anyone who has something to say.". But the prisoners started an indefinite-alternating hunger strike on November 27 to end the isolation imposed on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the violations of rights in prisons. The violations of rights in prisons and the pressure against all opposition groups, especially the Kurds, continue to increase with the hunger strikes.

 

ESP Co-Chair Ozlem Gümüştaş spoke to our agency about all these developments.

 

Noting that the oppressive policies against the Kurds and the opposition are part of the elimination plan of the AKP-MHP coalition, Özlem stated that the reform statement aims to create instability in the political ground. Saying that the people who oppose the AKP's policies were subjected to detentions and arrests Özlem stated, “The forces opposing the government's occupying policies are isolated. Legal and political aggression is not only detention. Dirty war methods are also in use.   Physical/psychological torture in police station, kidnapping, forcing being spies, and forcing cooperation with witness...”

 

'The government is trying to find a solution by attacking the opposition'

 

Noting that the AKP-MHP alliance is in a crisis of inability to govern, thus they try to find a solution by attacking the opposition in every crisis, "Trying to find a solution by attacking the opposition shows the insolublity and fragility of the goverment.  The fascist regime knows that it can ensure its power as domineer the struggle of the Kurdish freedom movement , the working left, socialist movement in the west and and close the channels of this struggle. Thus, no matter what conflicts and contradictions the coalition experiences, they put the policy of domineering  on the patriotic, revolutionary and anti-fascist movements and narrowing  their united channels with a clear will.This aggression of power is not a choice, it is a necessity." Özlem said. 

 

Emphasizing the importance of resisting across the political operations Özlem said “The clearest stance of the past years is the stance of resistance developed against these attacks of the regime. "They are parts of our duties to defend the DTK's dismantled signboard, the HDK's building that was raided and plundered, to give voice for  the prisoner co-spokesperson, to organize campaigns for the freedom of politicians in prisons, to have a clear attitude about kidnapping and spying attacks, and to reveal the attacks."

 

'Prisoner resistances are tearing apart the suppression attacks of power'

 

Pointing out that the government has turned prisons into places of extortion of rights Özlem stated that attacks in prisons are not independent from the policies of outside and added: ‘’ The government's operations outside, the court order and the attacks on the ward are multiplying. The aim and message of the attacks are clear. The government is trying to cut off all ties between political prisoners and the outside, to usurp all the production of  prisoners, to make them bow to isolation. Government tries to narrow thie struggle area, ; wants to close the channels of solidarity from outside to inside and cut calling from inside to outside. The surrender plans by isolation and  intimidation attacks are crashed by prison resistance and stance in the prisons. "

 

"Resistance with the call to end isolation"

 

Noting that the hunger strike in prisons is a resistance against rights violations and isolation, Özlem said that this resistance was not only against the rights violations in prisons. "While patriotic prisoners call for ‘end to fascism, occupation, isolation, and  say it's time to ensure freedom’ , they do not just build a barricade between the four walls but they also  call for a general resistance for the whole society. Today, this call for resistance from Kandıra to Sincan, from Edirne to Amed or from mines to workshops, from streams to the Parliament, from Makhmur to Shengal should be developed and the cry for freedom should be raised.’’ she said.

 

"The isolation in Imrali is a barricade placed in front of those who struggle unitly"

 

Underlining that the isolation against Abdullah Öcalan is applied to all peoples, Özlem emphasized that the isolation must be broken. Noting that the isolation imposed in Imralı is a barricade placed in front of the working left and socialist movement, Özlem gave the following message against this barrier: "The working left, the socialist movement should be able to take a clear stance against both occupation policies and isolation torture."

 

'Our resistance and success channels are open'

 

Stating that there is a call for resistance indicating the situation of the violations of rights experienced by hunger strikes Özlem said “The prisoners who started the hunger strike and death fast resistances in the prisons with their bodies against the attacks took away the soggy words and the lies about  change of the government . Resisting in the dprisons with their bodies and growing the call to gain freedom are calls to ruin all the walls of fascism. The deadlock is the dead end of the fascist regime. Our resistance and success channels are open, ”.

 

'We shouldn't give them the opportunity to manage the crisis' 

 

Finally, Özlem highlighted that a solution can be reached by organizing the third front without giving them the power of the opportunity to manage the crisis.