YASAR KEMAL PRESS CONFERENCE

Intellectuals; Yaşar Kemal, Zülfü Livaneli, Murathan Mungan, Prof. Dr. Özdemir Aktan, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bekaroğlu and Gençay Gürsoy have held a press conference regarding the Hunger Strikes in prisons.

THEY WILL DESTROY A GENERATION

Internationally renowned writer and intellectual Yasar Kemal who came to the meeting with his wife Ayse Semiha Baba, in his speech, recalling the previous hunger strikes, said that “The government and all of the officials were responsible for all of the previous hunger strikes. And this time they are all responsible as well. Today, sons and fathers of those hunger strikes will also be a part of this struggle; and will destroy a generation”.

Yasar Kemal ended his long speech short, and shared the remaining portion of his speech with journalists through his wife. The following statements are written in the text. “Watching the death of a human being from hunger is the greatest suffering of all. This is not worthy of humanity, ever. Today demands that peoples making at the expense of their life are basic human rights in democracies. While the solution is possible, if deaths are not avoided, the government, opposition, media and all of us will be responsible for the consequences and loss of life. Peace, in this country, is everyone’s right and desire. All of us should work opposing the new barriers that intended to prevent the Peace, to pave the way for peace. I would be grateful to everyone work for this ideals, sincerely.”

WE’VE SEEN PEOPLE ABOUT TO DIE

Zülfü Livaneli, said that even while we are holding this meeting at this moment, there are people at brink of losing their life:

It is very different to consider this event figuratively, but we have seen together with my friends. We saw people waited on the bed side of a young man died in prison in 1996, we saw those who are about to die. These are still haunting me in my dreams, a nightmare that won’t leave.

We value a human life, regardless of difference in their views. However in my opinion those who are on the Death Fasts are not the responsible party, I do not think anything will be resolved by talking to them. Leaving it alone is not a way either. Because, we are saying that, the value of human life is the supreme of importance. He says my cause is more important than my life. This is a fundamental difference. In that respect responsible party is the government here, or rather, the Prime Minister, which means the government in Turkey. Discourse is a very important thing in Turkey. Calling on People’s dignity, integrity and honor is something and twisting these values is something else.

DON’T GET CAUGHT IN A LAMB KEBAB WRAP ARGUMENT

Stating that there are Two concrete demands, and that these issues have already been on the agenda of the government, Livaneli said that “Well, you are saying yes to these two major issues, the Minister of Justice says, ‘Your voice have been heard, okay we will take appropriate steps’, and then instead of the Prime Minister saying ‘OK, these issues can be resolved, our hope is that they end the hunger strike’ he is caught in a lamb-kebab wrap literature.”

PRIME MINISTER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE DEATH

Musician Livaneli, calling on Prime Minister Erdogan, said that “Please change your attitude, you have already accepted these terms and conditions, do not consider this as a defeat, there are demands in a democratic society, a human being is holding the power is not the absolute ruler, please listen to the demands and change your attitude. Because there is no one else could solve this matter other than the Prime Minister. This means that, the Prime Minister would be responsible for the deaths as well” he said.