Today is the 43rd anniversary of the great death fast launched on 14 July 1982 by imprisoned members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in response to the torture and oppression of the 12 September 1980 military junta regime in Diyarbakir (Amed) prison.
The hunger strike, which led to the death of M. Hayri Durmuş, Kemal Pir, Akif Yilmaz, and Ali Çiçek, had a profound impact not only inside the prison but also outside. It instilled a spirit of resistance and self-confidence in Kurdish society and is seen as one of the milestones that ignited the flame of the uprising (serhildan) and laid the foundation for an uninterrupted struggle for freedom.
Fuat Kav, a writer and one of the 14 July death fast resisters, spoke to ANF about what happened during those days and their lasting effects.
The main target of the 12 September military coup was the PKK
Fuat Kav stated that the goal of the 12 September 1980 military coup was to eliminate the PKK. He said, “According to their plans, the PKK was supposed to be destroyed. At that time, the leadership and the pioneering cadres of the movement had withdrawn to the Middle East. Some cadres had been arrested. Many regional commanders, including Mazlum Doğan, Hayri Durmuş, and Kemal Pir, were being held in the prison in Diyarbakir. They had chosen this place as a pilot zone. An unimaginable plan of torture and annihilation was set in motion. It was a time of absolute brutality.”
Kav explained that in response to the torture and brutality in prison, Mazlum Doğan sacrificed himself, while Ferhat Kurtay, Eşref Anyık, Mahmut Zengin, and Necmi Öner set their bodies on fire to protest the atrocities. However, despite all these acts of resistance, the repression continued.
He described the decision and process of the 14 July 1982 death fast with the following words: “Despite these actions, torture continued at full speed. Therefore, a new action was needed, one that would be broader, long-term, and mass-based. Only such an action could be effective both inside and outside and bring the practices to an end. That is why the decision was made to launch a death fast.
The pioneers of this decision were Kemal Pir and M. Hayri Durmuş. The announcement was made in the courtroom. In fact, the death fast was supposed to start earlier, but the court panel continuously denied M. Hayri Durmuş the right to speak, so it was delayed by three or four months.
If he had been allowed to speak earlier, it might have begun in March or April. It would not have been postponed to 14 July. But since M. Hayri Durmuş was only granted the right to speak later, the announcement was made on that date, in the courtroom.”
Hayri Durmuş’s speech was historic
Fuat Kav described M. Hayri Durmuş’s speech as a manifesto, and continued: “On that day, Hayri Durmuş addressed the court panel with the following words: ‘We are members of the PKK; we are the cadres and pioneers of this movement. Our demand and aspiration is the independence of Kurdistan and the freedom of our people. We want to establish socialism in Kurdistan. The PKK was founded for this purpose. Its method and strategy of struggle are based on this foundation. We have organized ourselves accordingly.
Therefore, you cannot judge us here. Because you are a colonialist state. You have occupied Kurdistan and banned our language and culture. We demand that the Turkish state withdraw from Kurdistan. We want to present a political defense here, but you have taken that right away from us; you are systematically torturing us.
In protest against this, Mazlum Doğan, Ferhat Kurtay, Necmi Öner, Mahmut Zengin, and Eşref Anyık set their bodies on fire to demand an end to these tortures. Yet despite this, the torture continues. To stand against all these practices, I am beginning a death fast starting today.’
The court panel responded, ‘Hayri, do not rush. We will address your concerns and allow you to speak in your defense.’ But Hayri Durmuş replied, ‘You are lying. You have made promises many times here but never kept them. That is why I do not trust you.’
Afterward, a group of comrades, including Kemal Pir and Ali Çiçek, also declared that they would begin the hunger strike. When they returned to the prison that evening, we heard about it too. They did not bring those six comrades to our side; they were taken elsewhere.
At that time, I was not present in court, and neither was Akif Yilmaz. On the second day, two more friends joined the group. The next day, another friend entered the strike. In the days that followed, many others joined the death fast one by one. The number soon reached between 20 and 30 people.”
Our comrades did not back down
Fuat Kav, one of the death fast resisters of the time, explained that the hunger strike coincided with the summer heat and that torture continued throughout the process: “It was hot during the death fast. They were not giving us water. Torture continued at full intensity in that environment without pause. Until the 50th day, no official came to ask, ‘What do you want? Why are you on hunger strike?’ They did not even acknowledge our protest.
But after the 50th day, as the situation worsened and the danger of death approached, they started to come. M. Hayri Durmuş, Akif Yilmaz, Ali Çiçek, Kemal Pir, and several others were taken to the hospital. They tried to persuade them and also attempted medical intervention. Their aim was to prevent the comrades from dying as martyrs in the prison.
But despite all this, our comrades did not take a single step back. Kemal Pir fell as a martyr on the 57th day. After him, M. Hayri Durmuş, then Akif Yilmaz and Ali Çiçek also fell as martyrs.”
Fuat Kav stated that after the deaths, the prison administration finally established a dialogue with the prisoners and agreed to their demands, such as ending torture and recognizing the right to a defense.
The 14 July martyrs played a major role in today’s developments
Fuat Kav emphasized that the impact of the 14 July Great Death Fast Resistance was not limited to the prisons, but also influenced developments outside: “After Hayri and Kemal fell as martyrs, Abdullah Öcalan held an extraordinary meeting in the Middle East. In the meeting, he said: ‘This is a message, and we must draw conclusions from it.’ That conclusion was the August 15 Offensive. This marked the beginning of the return to Kurdistan and a new initiative.
Its effect was not limited to guerrilla forces and party cadres; it also had a significant impact on society. Youth in particular were affected by it. Perhaps this effect was not immediately visible in the early years, but it sparked an awakening. By the 1990s, this awakening among university youth became more apparent, and they began turning toward the mountains of Kurdistan. This process gradually became more socialized.
If the Kurdish freedom struggle has reached this point today, if thousands of guerrillas are fighting this war, if Kurds all around the world are embracing their identity and speaking of freedom, there is no doubt that the martyrs of the 14 July Death Fast have played a major role in this. They have become the voice and resistance of our people. They also played a part in the formation of the negotiation table in Imrali.
Imrali Island has today become an academy. Abdullah Öcalan has transformed Imrali from a prison into a space of solution and ideological education. Without question, this has come about through the efforts of Öcalan, the 14 July resisters, and our other martyrs.”
Source: ANF News
