Turkish Political Prisoners End Hun

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at locust.cic.net>
Subject: Turkish Political Prisoners End Hungerstrike

Turkish Political Prisoners End Hungerstrike In Victory

The Prisoners Have Forced The Merchants In Religion, The Mafia
And The Murderers Of The Refah-Yol Government On Their Knees. All
Demands Have Been Met

     The resistance which lasted 69 days is finished. The
prisoners have forced the mafia murderers of the Refah-Yol
government to accept their demands. 12 Martyrs fell during the
resistance which lasted 69 days. The fascist state demanded the
lives of 12 prisoners before they met the humanitarian demands of
the prisoners. This resistance of 69 days has been a real
struggle, a war, in which the bodies of the prisoners were left
to die by the state. In this struggle many actions were carried
out by the relatives and the people. Thousands, and tens of
thousands struggled in the streets and behind the barricades.
Hundreds of relatives were beaten up daily in the streets. The
police stations were packed with people. There have been
hungerstrikes till death outside of the prisons as well. The
fathers and mothers, more than 60 days old, exposed their bodies
to death, just like the union leaders and members and the people
abroad. It has been a war of will power. The people have won the
battle. The 12 comrades who died did not only win the struggle in
the prisons against this most cruel and bloody government, they
also used their bodies as a barricade against the attacks of this
fascist state against our peoples. During the resistance the
authorities of the state used the media for their intimidation
and their campaign of demagogy. They lied and they cheated, they
attacked with all means. No use. The voice of the prisoners was
heard all over Turkey and it reached the whole world. They did
not force the prisoners to their knees. The determination of the
prisoners and their relatives and our people has forced the
torturers to their knees. This success belongs to everyone who
believes in democracy, freedom, the love for the people and
justice. This success is the success of our friends who supported
our resistance in any way they could.
     Our 12 comrades who were at the front of struggle:

Aygun Ugur (TKP(ML)), Altan Berdan Kerimgiller (DHKP-C), Olginc
Ozkeskin (DHKP-C), Huseyin Demircioglu (MLKP), Ali Ayata
(TKP(ML)), Mujdat Yanat (DHKP-C), Tahsin Yilmaz (TIKB), Ayse Idil
Erkmen (DHKP-C), Hicabi Kucuk ((TIKB), Yemliha Kaya (DHKP-C),
Osman Akgun (TIKB) and Hayati Can (TKP(ML)).

     They have become a statue of honour.
     They will live on in our struggle of liberation and in the
names of thousands newly born children. Their murderers, those
who are responsible, the rest of their lives, will live in fear.

Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Cephesi (Revolutionary People's Liberation
Front)

----------

Revolutionary People's Liberation Front
Bulletin No. 24

July 25, 1996

The Hungerstrikers Till Death Call Upon Everybody: Rise Against
The Tyrants, The Thieves And The Ones Who Sell Out The Country!

     On the 63rd, 64th, and 67th day of the hungerstrike we
received the news: the prisoners are dying everywhere in the
country. Until now 6 prisoners have died and this number can rise
with the hour. They can not make us afraid with death,
imprisonment and torture! We surpassed death! The fascist
government attacks those people who long for freedom, justice,
equality, a decent life, their human rights, a free, democratic
and socialist country to hold on to their power, a power which is
based on exploitation. For years we have struggled for an
independent, democratic and socialist country, and for years we
had to deal with the repression of the fascist regime. Thousands
of us have been murdered, hundreds of thousands have been
arrested and tortured... The policy of the oligarchy is being
continued, be it by the junta or by the bourgeois parties. The
government can no longer stop the war in the cities and in the
countryside, that's why they attack the prisoners. After the coup
of September 12, 1980, the army most brutally attacked our
prisoners and many of them gave their lives, but they never
surrendered. The fascist generals of September 12 couldn't win.
The governments of DYP and ANAP and of Refah and the DYP want the
same, but they will not succeed either. A government which
attacks the prisoners to achieve it goals is a weak government,
they will not succeed and the situation is becoming bleak for
them. In their despair they increase the attacks against the
democrats and the revolutionaries. The Kurdish, Turkish and other
peoples see the bloodshed every day. Every day more people join
the struggle. The regime attacks again and again, opens new
prisons and the situation in the existing prisons is becoming
worse and worse. The state of emergency still exists, be it
unofficially... Women of 65, 70 years old are beaten up,
tortured. But They Cannot Silence The People! The uprising of the
prisoners is the uprising of the people. It is a call for the war
for a independent, democratic and socialist country.

The People Who Are Dying Now Are The True Owners Of This Land,
The True Representatives Of This Land!

     They are the people who resisted over and over again against
the tyrants, they are the people who never surrendered. They are
like Seyh Bedrettin, Pir Sultan, Seyit Riza, Mahir, Deniz and
Ibrahim. They are the heirs of those who died during the junta.
They continue the tradition of Niyazi, Sabo and Sinan who said:
"The revolutionaries never surrender!" They are going the way of
the prisoners who resisted in Buca and Umraniye. The hungerstrike
till death is a frontal attack against those who want to open the
concentration camps. The hungerstrike till death is an uprising
against the fascist regime, the exploitation and repression. The
hungerstrike till death is a challenge to the regime which wants
to prevent the liberation of the people. You want to scare the
people with death? They will not be frightened. They die on the
65th and 67th day of the hungerstrike. They know they can die any
moment, but they don't care.

The People On Hungerstrike Till Death Surpassed Death!
The Fire Of The Uprising Will Not Be Extinguished!
No Consciousness Or Technical Stuff Is Stronger Than The
Consciousness Of The Revolutionaries!

     Our prisoners are free. The prisons, the death penalties and
the isolation cells will not destroy them, they will not destroy
their relationship with the people and the land. The prisoners
are destroying the repressive policy of this fascist regime. 

Now They Are Utterly Confused!

     The revolutionary consciousness is diminishing the power of
fascism which once looked so huge. Their weapons and laws do not
work anymore. The oligarchy has lost its trump cards.

The Hungerstrike Till The End Will Be The End Of The Refah-Yol
Government

     The people of this country is rising.
     The world is now resisting.
     The people who didn't believe, start believing. The people
who didn't want to see, begin to see. This is the reality of the
resistance and the war of the revolutionary people. The workers,
the youth, villagers, civil servants, intellectuals, artists, the
people of the gececondus, the entire people is starting to see,
they begin to follow their conscience. The people of the world
are listening now to the people who are dying for their beliefs.
These people are showing the reality of Turkey to the world.

Fascism Rules In Turkey, The People Have No Freedom. All Laws Are
Designed For The Imperialists And The Monopoly Capitalists. The
Country Is Governed By Murderers, Torturers, The Merchants Of
Faith, And The Mafia.

     The history of our people is a history of resistance and
uprisings. To give up now means treason. The uprising is
spreading over the whole country: Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Aydin,
Cankiri, Konya... The uprising broke through the prison walls,
the uprising is now everywhere in the country. The fire of the
uprising will get rid of the oppressors, no power can stop this
fire. U.S. imperialism and the generals of September 12th used
religion to stop the revolutionary struggle. That's why they
supported the Refah party and made it possible for them to grow.
The Refah party is paying back the imperialists and monopolists
now. The hungerstrikers who are dying now are revealing the true
face of the Refah party: they are murderers of their own people,
puppets of U.S. and the monopolies, the ones who sell out
religion. Religious people who want justice and who are on the
side of the people are seeing no the true face of the Refah
party. Maybe We Will Lose Many Comrades, But The Uprising Will
Spread Step By Step Over The Whole Country, Hundreds Of People
Will Take Over The Flag Of Our Martyrs. No Power Will Change
Their Minds. Everybody Must Think Again! Their demagogic talk
about terrorism will be seriously damaged. The true face of the
Refah party will be clear for everybody. The whole world will see
the legitimacy of our struggle. The People Who Remain Silent, Who
Are Getting Tired, Who Lose Their Conviction, Who Are Looking For
Their Freedom Within The System, Will Have Have To Look Again.
You can not stay in the dark. Think about it, there is no way
out, there is no escape. The people who want freedom and justice
but who do not act can not sleep with a clear conscience, they
can not pretend that nothing is happening.
     The revolutionary struggle is increasing. The true sons and
daughters of this people are dying for the revolution, leaving a
heroic inheritance. Now it is time to follow their heroism, now
it is time to support them, now it's time to go on to the streets
to fight the enemy.

Revolutionaries, Comrades: Let's Spread The War Across The Whole
Country

     Aygun Ugur and Ali Ayata from the TKP(ML), our militants
from the Party-Front, Altan Berdan Kerimgiller, Ilginc Ozkeskin
and Mujdat Yanat, and Hueseyin Demircioglu from the MLKP already
gave their lives. More will follow. They died for their land and
their people, they fell for the revolution. We will have to
continue their struggle. We cannot accept the worst, we will have
to find a way to continue the struggle in all possible ways.
     If you do not have a weapon, get one. Take away the arms
from the enemy. A brick, a bottle of petrol, a knife, a box of
matches, all these can be weapons against the enemy. From now on
all kind of actions against the Refah party, the DYP, the MHP and
the BBP and the people who work in these parties, all kind of
actions against the police and the soldiers and civilian
militias, the big capitalists, the fascist bureaucrats, the
people who support this government, are legitimate actions. Do
not wait for orders. It is the revolutionary responsibility of
all people to look for the enemy, to look for the materials to
attack him. The revolutionaries must show the people the way in
their own areas to resist this government. In the area you work
and live in, you have to tell the story of these heroic martyrs,
you have to organise the people to go on to the streets.

You Can No Longer Remain Silment, Our People Are Dying In The
Hungerstrike Till Death. If You Want to Keep Your Honour And
Conscience, You Cannot Remain Silent! Those Who Remain Silent Are
Supporting Fascism! Like Our Hungerstrikers Till Death, We Will
Fight, We Will Unite, And Victory Will Be Ours! Do Not Fear, Our
Martyrs, We Will Change The Prisons Into Graveyards Of The
Oligarchy!

Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Cephesi (Revolutionary People's Liberation
Front)

------

Hungerstrike In Turkish Jails At Day 68

8 Prisoners Have Died In Their Struggle Against Prison Conditions

     Everyday now we receive news about the next prisoner who
died in the hungerstrike till death. In less than a week 8
prisoners have died. Last Sunday the first prisoner fell, Aygun
Ugur. He was a member from the TKP(ML) and was imprisoned in
Umraniye prison in Istanbul. Last Tuesday the first DHKP-C
prisoner fell, Altan Berdan Kerimgiller, followed on Wednesday by
Ilginc Ozkeskin. Both had been imprisoned in Bayrampasa prison in
Istanbul. Last Thursday Huseyin Demircioglu (MLKP), imprisoned in
Ankara, Ali Ayata from the TKP(ML) in Bursa, and Mujdat Yanat
from the DHKP-C in Aydin, fell. Last night, Tahsin Yilmaz from
the TIKB died in Bayrampasa prison. Just now we received the
message that Ayse Idil Erkmen from the DHKC died in the prison of
Canakkale. She was an actor in a people's theatre and had not
been tried yet.
     This is the 68th day of the hungerstrike till death for 270
prisoners. The Turkish government brusquely refuses to talk about
the demands of the prisoners. The prisoners simply demand a
dignified life and the closure of the isolation prisons. However,
the Turkish government announced the isolation prisons will not
be closed and that they plan to forcibly feed the prisoners. The
prisoners refuse all medical treatment and it is to be feared
that when the army and police intervene in the prisons, this will
lead to a bloodbath.
     But not only inside the prisons are people fighting for
their life. Outside the prisons relatives, unionists and
journalists are on hungerstrike till death. Also outside Turkey
people have gone on hungerstrike. In Brussels and London 6 people
announced they will continue, if need be till death. In Amsterdam
5 people announced to continue their solidarity hungerstrike till
the end as well.
     The prisoners do not have a choice. For them it's life or
death. They will continue their resistance. Only massive pressure
will induce the Turkish government to seriously discuss the
prisoners' demands. The empty words of concern from the European
politicians are completely insufficient. The European states will
have to act, there have to be concrete measures by the European
states against the Turkish government. Only in this way can
further bloodshed be stopped. Eight deaths are more than
enough...

Support the resistance of the hungerstrikers in the Turkish
jails!
Support the fight against fascism in Turkey!

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Photos Of Hungerstrike At DHKC WWW Site

Hello,

Just wanted to tell you that we have worked very hard to bring some 30 
pictures from Turkish and Kurdish hungerstrikers online. They give a good 
insight on the conditions in the prisons and in the determination of the 
Hungerstrikers. Also some pictures of the peoples resistance outside the 
prison have been added.

Long live our justified struggle!
We are right and we will win!
We will shock the world with our revolution!

DHKC Informationbureau Amsterdam <ozgurluk at xs4all.nl>

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