From: Press Agency Ozgurluk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 22:19:46 +0200 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: "[Ozgurluk.Org]" BBC: Third Turkish protest prisoner dies Sunday, 8 April, 2001, 12:02 GMT 13:02 UK http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1266000/1266912.stm Third Turkish protest prisoner dies Prisons were stormed in December in an effort to end the crisis A third inmate on hunger strike against prison reforms in Turkey has died in Istanbul. Bulent Coban, who was jailed for membership of an extremist left-wing organisation, the Revolutionary Peoples' Liberation Front, had been taking part in a mass hunger strike which began last November. The protest was over plans to transfer prisoners from dormitory wards into new jails where they are held in small cells. In an effort to end the protests, the Turkish security forces stormed 20 prisons in December. Medical damage More than 30 inmates and two soldiers were killed in four days of clashes. Human rights groups say several hundred prisoners are still on hunger strike and more than 100 are in a critical condition. The first prisoner to die, Cengiz Soydas, was also a member of the Revolutionary Peoples' party. He died in March. On Saturday, a second inmate died in the north-western city of Edirne. Adil Kaplan belonged to the armed Turkish Workers' Communist Liberation Army. Human rights concern Human rights groups say most of the hunger strikers have already suffered permanent medical damage and doctors fear that many are on the verge of death. Last week, the international pressure group, Human Rights Watch, called on the Turkish Government to take steps to bring the hunger strike to an end. It condemned the new S-type prison, which it says, contravene international standards. The government says there is no question of giving in to the inmates' demands. It argues that the new prison system is key to ending frequent riots, hostage-taking and hunger strikes by inmates linked to leftist, Kurdish and Islamic militant groups. The Council of Europe has urged Turkey to reform its prisons and investigate allegations of abuse of prisoners. -- Press Agency Ozgurluk In Support of the Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Struggle in Turkey http://www.ozgurluk.org _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
