Berkan Abatay was in the 4th Death Fast Team. The 4th Team started the Death Fast on May 11, 2001. Months, seasons, the 12 months of a year do not suffice to draw up a balance sheet of the strength of this willpower. Revolutionaries confront a tyranny and are resolved to live according to their thoughts and beliefs.
Berkan Abatay is a revolutionary who was arrested in 1997. He was severely tortured. One of the torture methods was to make him fall from a considerable height. As a result of torture he suffered from stomach bleeding for nine months. For months he could not walk and had lasting damage to his back and legs.
But that was not the only cruelty he had to contend with.
During the December 19 massacre Berkan was in Umraniye Prison. He was enveloped in the gas from canisters. Of the thousands of bullets fired, three hit him in the leg. He was brought to hospital with severe injuries.
But the tyranny was still not finished. He was thrown into the F-Type coffins. During cell searches and during daily roll calls he was subjected to various forms of torture. When he started the Death Fast, he was subjected to various forms of physical torture to make him come off the fast.
But they could not break his resistance. He was taken to hospital for force-feeding.
Berkan Abatay faced every kind of tyranny in the course of years and months of resistance. Now everybody should think about this.
Our comrade Berkan ABATAY was born in 1975 in the Istanbul district of Sisli. He was the son of a Kurdish Alevi family, originally from Erzurum. He grew up in poverty. Two of his brothers died because they lacked the money to have lung inflammations treated. And Berkan was only able to attend elementary school (the only level of free education in Turkey). For years he lived in slums where there was no water and no electricity. After school, Berkan did various things and sought to overcome financial difficulties. His experiences were the same as those of many young people in the slum areas. For a time he was a fanatical football fan and was part of the Besiktas Carsi group. Sometimes after football matches they got involved in fights in the spectator stands of football grounds. At the same time he continued to be involved in various activities. He got a job as a security guard in a big factory. The pay was good but he did not like this work. He did not like being a bodyguard for the boss. At that point he got to know Yemliha Kaya, who was involved in organising the struggles of the people in the slums. (Yemliha is our comrade who later died in the 1996 Death Fast). Through Yemliha he got to know revolutionism, the struggle and Devrimci Sol (Revolutionary Left).
In the meantime the family moved to Okmeydani (a district of Istanbul). He took part in the struggle and in organising efforts in the area. He distributedthe newspaper, hung up banners, visited apartments, learned and also taught others. He constantly tried to do something.
At the end of this period he was organised. He developed his ties to the organisation. He took on responsibilities in an armed unit. On November 7, 1997 he was arrested and imprisoned.
From then on he lived in the prisons, defending his revolutionary beliefs and ideals in the face of oppression and cruelty. He determined his road a long time before. I would like to be a revolutionary, live as a revolutionary and die as a revolutionary he said.
