The vigil that began in front of the United Nations building in Geneva, Switzerland, has continued into its third day. The action was organized by the Basel Boran Cultural Center and the Swiss People’s Front.
Protesters submitted a file to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documenting the isolation and torture imposed on political prisoners in Turkey’s prisons.
Şükriye Akar: The UN must break its silence
Şükriye Akar, the wife of prisoner Fikret Akar who is on hunger strike, stated: “Isolation and the usurpation of rights are clear violations of international law. With its silence, the United Nations legitimizes this persecution.”
She emphasized that her husband and nine other prisoners carrying out the resistance with him have reached a critical stage in their hunger strikes. Şükriye Akar added that the prisoners are being deprived of their most basic human needs.
Demands and call for international solidarity
The file highlighted demands including an investigation into the severe isolation practices in prisons, the provision of conditions in line with international standards, and the preparation of a comprehensive United Nations report.
During the vigil, urgent intervention was called for regarding the life-threatening situation of Serkan Onur Yılmaz, who has turned his hunger strike into a death fast.
The vigil received support from the Democratic Kurdish Community Center, the UNIA trade union, and many other institutions. Protesters called on the international community to raise its voice against pit-type prisons.
The vigil will continue today.
Source: ANF News
