Hunger Strikers' Families Speak Up

Dozens of family members supporting their beloved ones on hunger strike in prisons assembled in downtown Izmir Province to protest the government for undermining the ongoing crisis.  

With black duck-tapes on their mouths, protestors initiated a sit-in protest, an attempt immediately interrupted by the police. Hampul Kaya, father of a hunger striker, lost conscious briefly after yelling that his son must be saved. 

Many onlooking tourists nearby took photos of protestors wearing white robes and carrying banners such as "Support solutions, not deaths" and "Inmates die inside, humanity outside".

"We don't want young people to die"

Some protestors spoke up about their beloved one on hunger strike: 

Hatun Kaya: My son Halil Kaya is currently on hunger strike in Buca Prison. My heart can't stand it even if my mind is supporting his cause. Young people's lives are deteriorating. I hope it will help alleviate the problem between Turkish and Kurdish peoples. There is no difference between our kids in the mountains and young police officers here. It is doable. Let's resolve it.

Sultan Erkan: [Referring to his son killed as insurgent] I know what a child loss feels like. Now my husband is striking in the prison. I don't think people should necessarily die to defend their rights. I think Erdogan can understand it even though he never lost a son in the mountains or in the military. The past stuck to the officials like a black stain. The prime minister should resolve the issue in order to move on.

Hazal Suncak: My son is in prison for 20 years and currently on the 2nd month of his hunger strike. He is at Kiriklar Prison. I can't reach him at all, because he is not allowed to. I don't know how he is doing, which makes me sad. All I can do is to cry and pray for him. I feel overwhelmed by what's going on, so I don't know what else to say. We don't want any young people to die in this country, neither the ones in the mountain, nor in the military. Mothers suffered enough. We are calling to the government, to everyone.

Nusret Özrek: I am the aunt of Serdar Taşkan, Zana Yatkın and Nevzat Koyutürk. Who else should I mention? There are so many...We are speechless. It feels like being in a dungeon. God created us as Kurds. Our mother tongue is Kurdish. Our mothers, sisters don't speak a word of Turkish. We leave courthouses with tears. We are not treated as human beings. We don't deserve this, because we fought together to make this country independent.

Ayten Alkan: My brother was serving his sentence in Mardin. Now he is transferred to Şakran Prison. My son was sent to Kiriklar Prison when he was still a student at high school. I am calling to Emine Erdogan, prime minister's wife: what if your son was in prison too? Who are dying in the mountains? They are the children of poor people. We are fed up with this. We want peace. I am calling to all mothers with Kurdish and Turkish backgrounds. (Gİ/NV)