Melike Aydın

 

İZMİR - Sehep Sayan, mother of prisoner Ramazan Sayan, who said that prisoners who finished the hunger strike in Alanya L-Type Prison were sentenced to solitary confinement, said, “Our children were always in bad conditions. Now they are in worse conditions. We want to make our voices be heard by society ”.

 

The hunger strike which started on November 27 by prisoners in Turkey's and region's prisons to abolish the continued isolation of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and end the right violations in prisons continues on its 34th day. Sehep Sayan pointed out the oppression against the prisoners who finished an indefinite-alternating hunger strike for 5 days in Alanya L Type Prison, and said that two of these oppression were disciplinary punishment and solitary confinement.

 

'If it is necessary, we start a hunger strike, too'

 

Stating that her son Ramazan Sayan, who has been kept in Alanya Prison for 5 years, was also given solitary confinement, Sehep said, “Our children were always in a bad condition. They have worse conditions now. We want to make our voices heard by society. If it is necessary, we start a hunger strike, too. For almost a year, they have not allowed me to visit my son on the pretext of a pandemic. I cannot get information about my son, I cannot ask and learn from anyone. The guards do not give information about my son on the pretext that they have always changed their workplaces. Our clothes and jewelry are also taken off when we visit the prison. This practice exists only for the visiting of political prisoners but not for other prisoners. I put up with these practices to see my son. ''

 

Wards are raided almost every day

 

Stating that the wards were raided once or twice a month, but now they are raided almost every day,  Sehep said, “If there is a pandemic, if there is a disease, why do they raid the wards? They stir the beds and clothes around. The canteen is very expensive. If it is something for 1 TL outside; it is for  4 TL in the prison's canteen. They have difficulties. They are all my children. None of them are different from my son. My children always have difficulties. They were also subjected to such oppressions in Ümraniye Prison. When someone in ward start to a hunger strike, others cannot eat neither.

 

'The demands of our children must be fulfilled'

 

Sehep said that Ramazan also took part in the hunger strike that started in prisons in 2017, December to support the hunger strike started by the Democratic Society Congress' (DTK) co-chair Leyla Güven on  November 8, 2017. She stated Ramazan lost his sight of an eye and his need for glasses was not met by the prison administration.

 

Let us to visit our children

 

Noting that there is an increase in the oppression of prisoners, Sehep said, ''There is a lot of oppression on political prisoners. We want people to support our children. For now, they are on a five-day alternating hunger strike. But this can turn a stalemate.  In order for our children not to lose their lives, their demands should be fulfilled and negotiations should be initiated ”.

 

'Abdullah Öcalan is the leader of the Kurds'

 

Sehep finally said, “Abdullah Öcalan is the leader of the Kurds. He is in prison for 20 years. That's enough. The problem is not just the problem of the Kurds. We want a solution and peace. We came here from our homes and homeland. Our homeland was destroyed,and burned. We were subjected to violence, and that's enough."