Simon Cooper
& Ruth Riordan, Istanbul
Since 1982, 122 people have given their lives in unlimited hunger strikes, known as death fasts — in struggling for the human rights of political prisoners in Turkey. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the formation of TAYAD (the Association of Solidarity with the Families of Prisoners), whose members continue to work heroically inside and outside Turkey to draw attention to the struggle of their sons, daughters and friends.
TAYAD's history goes back to the 1980 military coup when thousands of revolutionaries and progressives were thrown into Turkish jails. Attempting to crush prisoner organisation, the military junta introduced the practice of isolation or solitary confinement. Death fasts became the only form of resistance left to the prisoners.
In 2000, this resistance became widespread, with 840 prisoners across Turkey declaring themselves on death fasts. In response, the Turkish state attacked 20 prisons in an attempt to transfer resisting prisoners to new F-type prisons, purpose-built for isolation. In the process, six women prisoners were burned alive and another 22 prisoners died from gunshot wounds. Six-hundred prisoners suffered serious physical and psychological harm as a result of forced feeding.
Today five people are on death fast — Kamil Karitas, Sevgi Saymaz, Serpil Cabadan, Gulcun Goruroglu and lawyer Behic Asci. TAYAD activists estimate there are up to 1000 Turkish political prisoners and 3000 Kurdish political prisoners held in Turkish jails. 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly spoke with TAYAD activists Aysu, Denis and Semiha in Ankara's Abdi Ipekci Park, where members of the organisation have held a continual protest for over 1000 days.
Semiha's 20-year-old son Ugur has been imprisoned since January 2005. "At first when my son was 16 and became a political activist, I was thinking only of my son. But after he was put in prison and I realised one day he could be on death fast because of isolation, I realised this affected many more people so I am here for my son but also for the sons and daughters of other people", she told GLW.
When asked about the effects of isolation, Aysu replied, "the 122 people who have died show us what isolation causes. When prisoners come out of isolation, sometimes they have forgotten everything. It can cause hearing, sight and balance problems. When we go to visit prisoners, sometimes the guards attack us — so we have to wonder, what can they do to our sons or daughters."
"Sometimes our letters don't get through to the prisoners", Semiha added. "Sometimes we send gifts like dried flowers, but the prisoners don't receive them. The letters we receive are sometimes censored." The prisoners have limited visiting rights with family members sharing the same last name, but this is arbitrarily denied by prison authorities.
TAYAD activists have suffered much police harassment. "They are always attacking us", said Denis, who two months earlier had his nose broken by a police baton at a protest. On June 11, TAYAD activists gathered to mark 1000 days of protest at Abdi Ipekci Park. When they attempted to march towards parliament, police attacked using gas bombs and truncheons. Many protesters required hospitalisation.
When asked what people could do to support TAYAD's struggle, the activists replied that isolation needs to be understood in the global context of imperialism. "First they isolate countries — Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq — then they isolate people. We have to make imperialism change. In Turkey we have acted to change isolation but these prisons are supported economically by Europe and the USA. Turkish prisons are not much different from Guantanamo."
Semiha added: "In Turkey there is a media blackout on our protests so it is important to spread the word internationally, let people know what is happening in Turkish prisons and maybe get parliamentarians internationally to discuss isolation."
Aysu, Semiha and Denis all agreed that the Turkish government, police and military are afraid of TAYAD. "They know our demands are revolutionary", Aysu said. "They will always attack TAYAD but we will stay here and we will win."
[To show your support for Turkish prisoners, email <sydtayadkomite@mynet.com> or visit < http://www.tayad-A href="mailto:committee.com"><committee.com>.]