“Ayşe Gökkan Was Put Under Isolation For 9 Days”

Nusaybin Mayor Ayşe Gökkan’s media advisor shared with bianet the story of 9-day long hunger strike, Gökkan’s health updates and the aftermath of the hunger strike protest.

While Gökkan’s health situation is now stable, it still need surveillance. 

“She will likely be discharged by tonight,” the advisor continued. 

“Sit-in protest turned to hunger strike due to police”

“For 9 days, I was by the side of Ayşe Gökkan. She started her sit-in protest on October 30. Then she turned it into a hunger strike after law enforcement’s reaction.

“She was put under isolation for 9 days. She was besieged by police and gendarmerie forces who broke her contact with the people. She could have visitors only through a formal process. This includes her family as well.

“For 9 days, she was isolated alone under sun in the morning and chill in the evening. In the meanwhile, they didn’t allow to set a toilet system or a tent in the beginning. Then, the tent came but later on it was ordered for removal which didn’t happen.

“Even though I was the media advisor, I wasn’t able to have a healthy communication with her. I called her a couple of times but we couldn’t do it later because her health situation got critical. By then, they already handed her phone to me.

“She spoke to a news agency and said that she found the rumors on her motivation to start a strike due to her new term candidacy degrading.”

“Intervention came as people attempted to march”

“For 9 days, thousands of people came her to support Ayşe Gökkan. They tried to motivate her with traditional dances and chants. During the last days, people turned off their lights and made noises at home. People never abandoned her.

“She was hospitalized yesterday after her strike was over. After a series of negotiations with the [Turkish] state, it was announced that the wall construction was suspended.

“People attempted to march to the border. People from Rojava did the same. After the meeting in Nusaybin, people had started a sit-in protest already.  It was supposed to continue on a turn-basis. However, police intervention case as people attempted to march towards the border.

“Police intervention spilled over to cities later on. Clashes resumed all night. Now tensions calmed down in Nusaybin. Everything seems OK.” (EKN/BM) 

* Click here to read the original article in Turkish.