Journalist Türfent on hunger strike for 35 days: We are making news with our bodies

2019-04-04 11:15:49


	VAN- Journalist Nedim Türfent who is on hunger strike with 141 other political prisoners in Van High Security Prison, critisizing the silence regarding the hunger strikes and the deaths, said: "We want to make news with our bodies. No matter what the price is, we will refrain from being the voices of these people."

	 

	One of the political prisoners on hunger strike demanding the removal of the isolation on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan is Nedim Türfent, a reporter of Dicle News Agency (DİHA) shut down with a statutory decree (KHK).

	 

	Türfent who is incarcerated in Van High Security Prison since May 13, 2016 is on hunger strike with 141 people for 35 days. Türfent critisizing the silence regarding the hunger strikes, deaths and isolation, said: "It is time to hold each others hand around these people wasting away. It would be a shame to leave this hand extended to life in the air." and called on to all non governmental organizations.

	 

	The letter Journalist Türfent wrote is as follows: "If you are interested in the country's agenda even a little bit, you are aware. But I want to once again underline the fact that Leyla Güven has been on hunger strike for 148 days. Thousands of people in prisons have laid their bodies to hunger, that is to say to death actually. While you heard this truth once more from me, I have 5 people right beside me on hunger strike more than 100 days. It is not easy to say. Its even harder to watch.Forasmuch, watching a human body wasting away is really painful to see. I wonder how did we get so cruel as a society. While we need to preserve our common values, especially the right to life, we are struggling in the clutches of a silence spiral. While those who want to ressurect fascism are building an empire of fear, those who should be defending democracy, freedom and law are helping them inadvertently, not being able to stand against the injustices that are even contradicting with the own constitution of this country. Leyla Güven has been resisting for 4 months just to make us see that, and we are just watching.  The removal of isolation is a chance for peace. The cancellation of isolation cannot be read only as the provision of lawyers and family opinions guaranteed by law. Moreover, the state here also violates its own constitution and law. Isolation is being persistent in war, war is the shame of humanity.

	 

	 I AM DOING MY JOB AS A JOURNALIST

	 

	The most basic ethical, moral, conscientious task of a journalist should be to make visible the violations of rights, particularly the right to life violations. I am doing my job as a journalist.  No matter what the cost is, we will not refrain from being the voice and breath of these people. We want to keep these people alive, that's all. Today is the day of giving the water of life to the bodies of our friends who are wasting away day by day. "