A new draft law on hunger strikes.

[Sabri Oncu <soncu@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry for dumping this many articles about a single event on PEN-L,
however significant it may be for me. This will be the last one.
This excerpt is from the below news piece:

 "Meanwhile, the Turkish government on Tuesday submitted to parliament a
 draft law introducing jail terms for those encouraging inmates to go on
 hunger strikes, Anatolia news agency reported.

 The proposed legislation envisages jail terms of between two and four
 years for those "preventing inmates from taking food," an offence broad
 in scope that covers also acts such as encouraging and ordering hunger
 strikes and persuading inmates to join hunger strikes, Anatolia said.

 The jail terms are increased to between 10 and 20 years if the offence
 results in the death of a striker, the agency added.

 The draft also allows authorities to treat, hospitalize and feed
 hunger-strikers without seeking their consent if doctors establish that
 their lives are at risk or that their conscience is damaged."

I guess what they are saying is that you cannot hunger strike in this
country any more; killing yourself is not allowed, only we can kill you.


Sabri Oncu
soncu@xxxxxxxxxxx


+++++++++

Reuters; AFP. 6 November 2001. Turkish Activists Say Police Shot Hunger
Strikers; Turkey seeks jail terms for organizers of hunger strikes.

ISTANBUL and ANKARA -- Turkish leftists said on Tuesday four hunger
strikers were shot dead in a police raid in Istanbul, but officials said
the protesters had set themselves alight.

Police launched raids on Monday on homes in the Kucuk Armutlu area of
Istanbul, where leftists have been on hunger strike for months to
protest prison reforms.

Four bodies were taken away by police.

"They lost their lives from bullets fired by police," a statement from
Tayad, a group representing the hunger strikers' families, said. "Tens
of people were seriously hurt."

The raid was the latest attempt to deal with a protest that has left 42
people dead of starvation, further stained Turkey's human rights record
and sparked a suicide bomb attack in September that killed four,
including an Australian tourist.

A police spokesman confirmed the four deaths, but denied units had fired
on the protesters.

A police officer at the scene told Reuters on Monday the authorities had
found the victims already dead underneath their beds after security
forces entered the homes.

Police have given no further details of the injured.

Health Officials had said 10 people suffered burns and carbon-monoxide
poisoning after setting themselves on fire.

Witnesses in the Kucuk Armutlu district said security forces used
armored cars, teargas and batons to enter private homes and pull out
protesters.

Kucuk Armutlu was under tight security on Tuesday, with police checking
the identities of drivers and passers-by and turning away all but local
residents.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government on Tuesday submitted to parliament a
draft law introducing jail terms for those encouraging inmates to go on
hunger strikes, Anatolia news agency reported.

The proposed legislation envisages jail terms of between two and four
years for those "preventing inmates from taking food," an offence broad
in scope that covers also acts such as encouraging and ordering hunger
strikes and persuading inmates to join hunger strikes, Anatolia said.

The jail terms are increased to between 10 and 20 years if the offence
results in the death of a striker, the agency added.

The draft also allows authorities to treat, hospitalize and feed
hunger-strikers without seeking their consent if doctors establish that
their lives are at risk or that their conscience is damaged.