From ABC Istanbul & 325.net
Osman Evcan continues his indefinite hunger strike to protest Kocaeli no.1 F Type prison and other prisons of oppressive, authoritarian, retributive, unjust practices. He is on hunger strike since 10th November 2015. Also Osman Evcan’s cellmate Hasan Çınar started an indefinite hunger strike 10 days ago to support Osman. He is suffering from stomach cancer. Due to
his health condition this hunger strike might be really dangerous for him in a really short time period.
We got the information that Osman Evcan’s health condition is good for now and he continues his hunger strike with strength. He also told us in his letter that the prison administration and prison prosecutor is putting pressure on him by going into his cell, yelling at him with threats so that he brings his hunger strike to an end. But he underlines that he is determined to continue the hunger strike. Besides that he says that he is thankful to everyone who is supporting him by sending letters, by protests, by creating a public opinion. He sends
everyone his love and greetings.
In his letter he emphasizes again his reasons to start hunger strike :
1. Vegan prisoners vested interests must be given back to them. The substantive conditions must be prepared to get vegan food and products that the vegan prisoners need to eat healthy and balanced. The need to get vegan food (which doesn’t exist in prison canteen), should be fulfilled by the families or comrades from outside, under the prison administrations supervision. There shouldn’t be any restriction or prohibition about this matter. These products should be sold without any profit motive.
2. The rights granted to vegan prisoners should also be granted to vegetarian and sick prisoners. Sick prisoners legal and humanitarian rights are violated. This violation must stop.
3. An electric stove must be provided to vegan, vegetarian and sick prisoners because of their nutrition provisions. They need electric stoves to be able to eat healthy and balanced.
4. To purchase vegetable and fruits from outer canteen should be possible.
5. The seasonal fruits and vegetables that vegan, vegetarian and sick prisoners need must be provided by the prison administration weekly.
6. There shouldn’t be any animal products like honey, yoghurt etc. on the weekly vegan food list. They should stop this kind of psychological pressure and attacks.
7. Water boiler that the prisoners need should be sold in inner canteen.
8. Authoritarian, oppressive, insulting nude strip search implementation on the first arrival to the prison should stop.
9. Body search implementation by taking the shoes off inside prison should stop.
10. During the free visit we should have the right to come together with the visitors and we should be allowed to take pictures with them.
11. There should be tea machines in the free visit rooms. Our visitors should be able to drink tea.
12. The authoritarian terror, oppression, violence, genocide against Kurdish people must end. Kurdish people’s right to determine freely their own language, culture, communal living shouldn’t be violated. Kurdish people and all the other people from different nations should
have their right to use natural, basic, universal rights equally and freely.
13. Sexist oppression, violence, terror, genocide against women should stop.
14. Depredation, slaughter, contamination, exploitation of the Earth should stop.
15. Speciesist genocides, violence, exploitation of animals should stop.
16. Homophobic, transphobic violence, terror, massacre directed to LGBT individuals should stop.
17. Imperialist, colonist governments should stop their occupation, exploitation, war, massacres in Syria and all over the Middle East. The starters and responsible ones of the war in Syria and Middle East are the Western colonist governments. All the people of the Middle East should put the active struggle into practice collectively.
18. The violence, exploitation, rape, massacre against the immigrants migrating to Turkey because of the war created in the Middle east and Syria should stop.
It’s time to give our best against the system’s tools ignoring Osman Evcan and Hasan Çınar’s rightful demands and trying to destroy our comrades with vulgar display of power.
ABC Istanbul