Symposium against isolation in Istanbul
TAYAD - 01.07.2005 18:45
an article , from tayad
Symposium against isolation in Istanbul
From 25-27th of June, an international symposium under the title “Isolation and the struggle against isolation”, was held in Istanbul.
The conference was organized by TAYAD, the Association of Prisoner’s Families in cooperation with the International Platform against Isolation.
It was held in the „Muamer Karaca“ theatre in Istanbul.
Apart from the main point of isolation practices towards political prisoners, the topic was the isolation of progressive forces, through demagogies and chevy campaigns, the occupation politics in Iraq as well as oppression and massacres by the imperialist powers.
At the beginning of the symposium, there was shown a film about the „19th December operation“. The dates from 19-22nd of December 2000, entered history as the most cruel prison massacre in Turkey. During a military operation in 20 Turkish prisons at the same time, 28 political prisoners were killed. The military attack aimed to destroy the resistance against the new implemented f-type prisons and the transfer by force.
Representatives of mass organisations, trade unions, lawyer’s associations, as well as intellectual and artists from Turkey and abroad, took part in the symposium and gave reports about their experiences.
The first session on Friday dealt with the medical aspect of isolation. This seminar was moderated by Prof. Dr. Hakan Gürvit, a neurologist of the medical faculty of the Istanbul university. Gürvit spoke about his experiences with the disease Wernike-Korsakoff, which occurs mostly as a symptom of long lasting hunger strikes and force feeding. Gürvit said, that this disease was uncurable. On this topic, relatives of political prisoners and a death fast veteran spoke about their experiences.
In the second session of the conference it was dealt with the juridical aspect of isolation and the politics of censorship. This program was directed by lawyer Hakan Karadag, the former president of the Progressive Lawyer’s Association, CHD.
Furthermore Naime Kara, a member of TAYAD, Behic Asci, a lawyer of the People’s Law Bureau (Halkin Hukuk Bürosu), Bernd Häusler, human rights chairman of the Bar Association in Berlin, Mohammad Al Samarae, spokesperson of the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance, as well as lawyer Selcuk Kozagacli, foundation member of the CHD, were invited to the podium.
On Saturday, the symposium dealt with the question of political isolation, on the basis of isolation against organisations. This meeting was held under the moderation of Erol Ekici, member of the Federation of Revolutionary Worker’s Unions, DISK.
The speakers of this sessions were Hülya Sekerci, chairwoman of Özgür-Der, Meftun Gürdallar, coordination secretary of the Architecture Chamber in Istanbul, Yorgos Blahos EKA, the Worker’s Center in Athens, Savas Tsakmakidis from the ADEDY, the Greek Union of Public Services, Sandro Targetti, Italian member of the Landtag in Toscana and Michael Devine, representative of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, IRSP.
There was not only discussed about the cruel prison politics in Turkey, but also reported about similar prison systems in the USA and in Europe.
One of the most famous examples was the hunger strike in Ireland in 1981, in which Bobby Sands and 9 of his friends lost their lives. One of the strikers was Micky Devine, whose son Michael spoke on the symposium as well. Convinced, that the political prisoner’s struggle against isolation in Turkey will lead to victory, he expressed deep solidarity and sympathy with the prisoners’ relatives. Sandro Targetti of Rifondazione Comunista stressed, that it was necessary to continue the struggle against isolation in addition to the struggle inside the prisons.
The symposium ended Monday, with a press conference in the Architecture Chamber in Istanbul. The speakers of the conference were Mohamad Al Samarae from the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance, Mohammed Safa and Darine Vehbe from the Khiam- Rehabilitation Centre in Lebanon, Azmet Begg, the father of the former Guantánamo-prisoner from Britain, Dimiter Ivanov Gachev, a sociologist of the “Resistance Movement 23rd September “ from Bulgaria, lawyer Behic Asci and TAYAD member Süleyman Acar.
The conference was utilized to read out a final declaration, that was signed by 27 writers, journalists and trade unionists from Italy, Britain, Ireland, Iraq, Greece and Turkey.
The signatories of the declaration, especially expressed their solidarity with the prisoners in the Turkish f-type prisons. The 19th December was announced as “Day of Solidarity with the political prisoners in Turkey”. But the solidarity is also dedicated for those prisoners in Israeli prisons, Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo or Bagram, who suffer torture, repression and tyranny.
It was decided, to oppose all imperialist attacks on the oppressed people, wherever they take place.
The common statement as well includes the purpose of a central communication and coordination office, which is necessary for the exchange of information. There was also decided to engineer the construction of rehabilitation centres for the victims of isolation.
The declaration underlines, that the isolation politics is a politics of imperialism, which aims to marginalize, destroy and subjugate individuals, organisations and states – as it was seen with examples of Iraq and Afghanistan.
It is stressed that isolation, isn’t only a physical and architectural phenomenon, but used as strategy, in order to destroy the will power of those who fight for freedom and justice.
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