Justice vigils in Amed and Van continue

The justice vigil initiated by the prisoners’ families at the Amed (Diyarbakır) Bar Association marked its 64th day. “Just as nights are followed by days and winters are followed by springs, this resistance will bear fruit in terms of human rights,” HDP’s Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Commission member Edip Berk said in a speech during the visit on Tueaday.

Reşahat Ada, a prisoner’s relative, emphasized that they do not want inmates to die in prisons. Ada said that they would insist on their demands for justice, adding, “We will do whatever it takes. The struggle of our children is an honourable one, for which reason they will not bow before the authorities. They do not regret their cause.”

MOTHERS’ UPRISING SPREADING

HDP Amed provincial co-chair Gülistan Atasoy said that the uprising of the mothers is spreading to other cities in the country. “This is not only our demand, but also the demand of numerous citizens living in this country. It will not be possible to talk about democracy and freedom in other areas of the country as long as an end is brought to the practices in prisons that go against  the country’s laws, international conventions and universal rules of law.Therefore, it is very important to make this struggle widespread and the voice of millions. All pro-democracy forces in Turkey and Kurdistan should also increase this struggle for justice,” Atasoy said.

HDP TO RALLY ON JANUARY 22

Atasoy noted that her party would hold a rally in Station Square on January 22 under the motto ‘We defend the HDP’. She continued: “We are planning to hold a rally that promotes not only the HDP and its policies, but also all the struggles within society. We will be at Station Square to put an end to the dirty politics, rampant unlawfulness, and all these illegal practices in Turkey’s prisons introduced by the government. We would love to see all the segments of society which promote freedom and democracy to protest these policies against sick prisoners in prisons, especially isolation.”

VAN

The Justice Vigil organised by the relatives of the prisoners at the Van Bar Association entered its 39th day. Members of the HDP Tuşba District Organization visited the families joining the vigil today. Tuşba Municipality Co-Mayor Ayşe Minaz, who was replaced by an AKP candidate on the grounds that she had been dismissed by a governmental decree (KHK), stated that the isolation imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has spread to all prisons in the country. “Prisoners are not allowed to exercise their rights to the slightest degree. Especially following the pandemic outbreak, Turkish prisons have turned into torture sites,” she said.

Minaz remarked that it is a violation not to release sick prisoners despite the reports that they ‘cannot stay in prison’ and added that the lack of social awareness about the issue remains a problem. Minaz said that everyone should do self-criticism over the issue. “The situation of sick prisoners, especially Aysel Tuğluk, is life-threatening. We demand the immediate release of the sick prisoners, and we congratulate the stance of our families,” she added.