CHP pens letter about hunger-striking educators to new justice minister

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmakers have penned a letter to the newly-appointed Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül, urging him to take action about the deteriorating health conditions of two educators who have been on hunger strike for 135 days. 

“We hope that your first duty would be to take a step to save the lives of these two people and we reiterate our call for humanity by sending this letter to you,” CHP lawmakers Zeynep Altıok and Şenal Sarıhan said in a letter to Gül on July 20 for imprisoned educators Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça.

“As you may know, two people who have lost their jobs with a state of the emergency decree have been on hunger strike for 134 days [as of July 20]. The critical threshold has been passed and they are closer to death every passing day,” the letter added. 

Altıok and Sarıhan said they had already written a letter to former Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ on the issue, however, failed to receive a response from him.

“Not one day, a minute has a vital importance between life and death,” it added.  

Stating that the two educators have been in prison for 58 days as of July 20, the lawmakers expressed their concern over the educators’ deteriorating health conditions.

“We all know that their demand is work and bread. We are aware that they have been imprisoned unlawfully just because of these demands. Their unjust detentions should be lifted immediately,” they said. 

“The first and urgent duty of the newly-appointed Justice Minister should be to ensure the compensation for the injustice that Gülmen and Özakça experienced,” the letter said. 

Gül was appointed to his post on July 20 after a cabinet reshuffle.