BY FEDERICO FUENTES
One hundred and eighty prisoners are still on hunger strike in Turkey's jails, staying firm despite the deaths of more than 60 hunger strikes since the protest began on October 20.
The health of many of the hunger strikers has deteriorated to such an extent, says the country's Human Rights Foundation, that about 50 have been released from jail in the past weeks.
Even though many have trouble breathing, however, those prisoners who have been moved to hospitals have been chained to their beds.
"The condition of these people is irreversible, some have lost their memories. We expect more deaths", said Yavuz Onen, head of the foundation, which is looking after the freed hunger strikers.
The government has refused to give any money to the families of the hunger strikers to cover medical costs.
Strikers are protesting against their transfers to new jails, where cells holding a maximum of three people have replaced large dormitories for up to 60.
Prisoners have reported that the new "F-type" cells have made it easier to torture them. They claim that there is now not a single prisoner who has not been tortured by the Turkish police — and they call the new cells "coffin cells".
The "F-type" prisons are also being used to segregate prisoners so as to stifle any ability to share discussions or organise for better conditions. The old dormitory-style prisons had allowed political prisoners to organise, much to the anger of Turkish authorities.
The Turkish government has attempted to implement the "F-type" prison cells before, but has met strong resistance from within and outside the prisons. Each time they have been forced to back down, but have so far rebuffed all calls for them to do so this time around.
The struggle by the prisoners has prompted much solidarity on the outside, forcing the government to ban any protests outside prisons. Protesters who have dared to defy the ban have been teargassed, tortured or disappeared.
In Melbourne, the Turkish and Kurdish Human Rights Commission is planning on holding a solidarity protest with prisoners in Turkey on August 18, in an effort to draw international attention to the 10-month struggle.