Some 700 Kurdish prisoners across Turkey on Sunday ended a 68-day hunger strike after an appeal by Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, the pro-Kurdish news agency Firatnews reported.
Ocalan, who himself has been in solitary confinement in a prison near Istanbul for about a year and half, called Saturday for an end to the hunger strike by his supporters.
His brother Mehmet publicised the call in a statement after meeting the jailed leader in prison the same day.
“This action has achieved its goal. I want them to stop their action immediately and without any hesitation,” Ocalan said, according to the statement.
Turkey’s Islamic-rooted government on Tuesday submitted a bill to parliament to give Kurds the right to use their own language in court, a key demand of the prisoners.
Ankara’s move was initially deemed “inadequate” by defenders of the Kurdish cause, who are also calling for improved detention conditions for Ocalan.
Kurdish prisoners in Turkey end hunger strike
