Vefa Kartal Ends Hunger Strike on 96th Day

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

İll prisoner Vefa Kartal, who has been on a hunger strike for 96 days in the Tekirdağ Type T Prison, where he has been held, has ended his hunger strike after his demands for the improvement of his prison conditions and treatment of his illness in a hospital have been accepted.

The family of Kartal has announced that he has ended his hunger strike.

Speaking to bianet about the issue, the brother of Vefa Kartal, Umut Kartal has stated that the prison administration has given them guarantee:

"We will be a follower of this issue. They will take Vefa to Tekirdağ Public Hospital soon. We could meet Vefa for one hour and 40 minutes today (October 9). He has been in good spirits and sent his greetings."

What happened?

Vefa Kartal, who has been sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, has been behind bars for 24 years.

Nearly two years ago, Kartal was referred to the neurosurgery service on the ground that the blood vessels between his cerebral lobes had swollen. He also has other health problems such as Hepatitis B, prostate, hypertension, ulcer, intestinal problems and allergy.

İll prisoner Vefa Kartal went on a hunger strike as a protest against rights violations on August 18, 2017, when he was held in İzmir no. 1 Type F Prison, and ended this strike 114 days later.

Kartal, who has gone on a hunger strike with the demand that his fundamental rights, especially his right to access medical treatment, be granted, will be on strike for 90 days by tomorrow. (EMK/SD)