The Death Fast resistance(Hunger Strike till death) of political prisoner Mustafa Koçak and members of the leftist music band Grup Yorum band – Ibrahim Gökçek and Helin Bölek have been going on for nine months, with the health of the three fighters for justice is worsening with each passing day, reaching a critical point. Solidarity hunger strikes have been added to the many actions in support of the demands of Mustafa and members of Grup Yorum, which have been held in Turkey and Europe in recent months by their families and their comrades from People’s Front.
In Turkey, hunger strikes in support of the demands of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum are currently carried out by:
-Kemal Gün is the father of the fallen guerrillas Murat and Çayan Gün. In the spring of 2017, Uncle Kemal, as he is known among his sons’ comrades, went on a hunger strike that lasted for 90 days, requesting the handing over of the remains of his son Murat and 10 of his comrades who were killed in a November 2016 bombing against a guerilla camp in Dersim province, eastern Turkey, of the fascist army. In this way he managed to fight for the right of a decent funeral for the 11 killed guerrillas. Now Uncle Kemal is support the struggle for justice with his hunger. In the middle of February, he launched a 1-month hunger strike in solidarity with the demands of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum
-On February 19, political prisoners Didem Akman and Ozgur Karakaya announced Death Hunger Strikes in support of the demands of Mustafa Koçak and members of Grup Yorum. The news was reported on March 6 by the Association for Solidarity of the Political Prisoners’ Families (TAYAD). Didem Akman is captive in the Aliaga-Şakran Women’s Isolation Prison, Izmir province, and Ozgur Karakaya is in the Sakran Isolation Prison.
-Sercan Chucker, Mustafa’s childhood friend. On February 26, he launched an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with the hunger strikes till death, and daily held a protest rally at the entrance of Guven Park, located in the center of Ankara, Turkey’s capital city. This is not Sercan’s first hunger strike; in late December he went on a hunger strike, which lasted until the end of January. This is true friendship, which is living proof of the well-known phrase “A friend in need is a friend indeed” today Mustafa needs all of us to publicize his struggle for justice.
-On February 26, members of the Association for Solidarity of the Political Prisoners’ Families (TAYAD) launched a one-week hunger strike in support of the demands of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum. The hunger strike takes place in the courtyard of the Alevite house of worship(Cem evi), in Istanbul’s 1 Mayıs Mahallesi, located in the eastern (Asian) part of the city. Locals and members of left-wing organizations living in the area have visited the hunger strikers and expressed their support for their action.
-On March 2, political prisoners from the Popular Front in a detention facility near the city of Bolu, northern Turkey, announced that they were launching an indefinite hunger strike, in support of the demands of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum.
In Europe, to date, hunger strikes in support of the demands of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum. have been conducting:
-On February 13, in the city of Hamburg, Germany, an indefinite hunger strike began with Gulistan Eroglu. The woman said she was in solidarity with the demands of political prisoner Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum. Eroglu says he will not be able to raise her grandchildren if the musicians of the Grup Yorum are prevented from continuing to develop their work. For this, she chooses to launch a hunger strike to support the fight for justice and the repression of fascist oligarchy in Turkey.
– On February 29, in Brussels, the Belgian capital, an endless hunger strike began, Yılmaz Aydın. He says he has decided to launch a hunger strike to support Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum in their struggle against fascism. According to him, his decision is late, against the backdrop of the advanced stage of the deadly hunger strikes. But he nevertheless declares his determination to carry out the hunger strike until the demands of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum are fulfilled.
-On March 2 in Athens, the Greek capital, Hasan Farsak, one of the members of People’s Front in Greece, began indefinite hunger strike in support of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum. He is conducting his hunger strike at a tent of members of the People’s Front in Greece, located on Propilia Square in central Athens. On March 2, along with Farsak, 30 members of the Popular Front began a 3-day hunger strike. During the whole period of the indefinite Hunger Strike, along with him, a relay hunger strike of 2 days will be carried out by 2 members of the movement.
In addition to the members of the People’s Front and people in solidarity with the demands of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum, hunger strikes also take place in Paris, the capital of France, Yılmaz Sarıgül in Innsbruck, Austria. Veli Yatı and Hasan Dönmez are on a 5-day hunger strike in solidarity with the struggle against fascism of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum, and lawyers at the People’s Law Bureau. Yılmaz Sarıgül will hold a 10-day hunger strike in support of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum.
New hunger strikes in France and Austria are also expected to start in the coming days. In France, Habibe Zincir, a relative of a political prisoner in Turkey, announced that she will go on a 15-day hunger strike on March 8th. In Innsbruck, Austria, Ali Özçelik announced that an indefinite hunger strike would start on March 9 in support of Mustafa Koçak and members of the Grup Yorum.
Source: halkinsesitv1.org and gercekhaberajansi.org
