INVITATION TO A PRESS CONFERENCE
F-type prisons in Turkey and the resullting death fast action.
International Press Center
Karel de Grotelaan 1, 1041 Brussels
TUESDAY 22nd MAY 2001, 11.00 AM.
Participants:
· Leen Laenens: AGALEV and member of the Belgian Parliament
· Karel van Hoorebeke: Volksunie and member of the Belgian Parliament
· Patrick Hostekint: SP and member of the Flemish Parliament
· Relatives of prisoners who died during military operations within
prisons last December
· Relatives of prisoners on death fast
TAYAD (The Solidarity Association of Prisoner’s Families), one of the
conference organisers, will report on how families support their relatives
on death fast. Four famliy members have lost their lives so far supporting
prisoners.
Hundreds of prisoners continue their death fast action, urging the Turkish
government to negotiate with the prisoner’s representatives to end isolation
and to stop forced medical intervention. The death fast is now over 200 days
old.
The new prison cell system in Turkey has caused a broad protest all over the
country and was condemned by almost all social institutions. Protests abroad
by noted human rights associations and governmential bodies have been
ignored, even though 53 people have lost their lives.
The international press is invited to interview the families of the
prisoners and to receive reports of a former delegation to Turkey. The
Belgian deputy Leen Laenens was a member of this delegation and will be
participating in this conference. Scenes of video recordings from inside and
outside the prisons showing the death fast actions of both relatives and
prisoners will be shown. These recordings can be ordered at the conference.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are invited to present their
reports on this issue.
for contact:
Sandra Bakutz, member of the IKM (Committee against Torture through
Isolation)
Tel: 0475/487 202
