Ecevit Piroglu, who has been imprisoned in Serbia for 34 months, has been on hunger strike for 59 days. Deputies from the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), the Labor Party (EMEP) and the Turkey Workers' Party (TIP) called for Piroglu's immediate release. 37 deputies, including members of the Turkey and Serbia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, delivered the declaration they signed to the Serbian Embassy in Turkey.

 

The following statements were included in the declaration signed by 37 deputies: “After 34 months of imprisonment in your country, Ecevit Piroğlu has been on hunger strike for the second time since 12 February and we have learned that his health is deteriorating and has even reached a critical stage with a risk of death.

 

What is the reason for not releasing Ecevit Piroğlu, given that your government and judicial authorities have firmly rejected his extradition requests to Turkey and that the prison sentence imposed on Piroğlu by the Serbian court of your judiciary has already been executed on 12 January 2024?

 

Why are you preventing Piroğlu’s right to leave your country officially, as required by international conventions to which you are a party?

 

There are two separate decisions from your Ministry of Interior. Can the reason for Piroğlu’s forced detention under inhumane conditions be the subject of possible political negotiations with the Turkish government, as there is a real contradiction between your two decisions?

 

The medical control of a person on hunger strike is determined by medical protocols. Despite this, what is the purpose of not carrying out medical checks on Piroğlu?

 

DEMANDS MUST ACCEPTED

 

As political parties and democratic organisations representing millions of people in Turkey, we are closely following the trial and we warn you. The demands of the internationalist revolutionary Ecevit Piroğlu, who we know from the Gezi resistance and his pioneering struggle against ISIS, must be accepted immediately and Piroğlu must regain his freedom.

 

We declare that we will hold your government responsible in international public opinion for the irreparable negative consequences that will result from your inaction. End the illegal detention of Ecevit Piroğlu, end his hunger strike and stop preventing his right to leave your country.

 

SIGNING DEPUTIES

 

The names of the signatories are as follows: Burcugül Çubuk – Member of the Türkiye-Serbia İnter-Parliamentary Frendship Group, Adalet Kaya -Member of Parliament (Amed), Ali Bozan – Member of Parliament (Mersin), Ayten Kordu – Member of Parliament (Tunceli), Beritan Güneş Altın -Member of Parliament (Mardin), Celal Fırat – Member of Parliament (Istanbul), Cengiz Çiçek – Member of Parliament (Istanbul), Çiçek Otlu – Member of Parliament (Istanbul), Erkan Baş – Member of Parliament (Istanbul), George Aslan -Member of Parliament (Merdin), Gülcan Kaçmaz Sayyiğit – Member of Parliament (Wan), Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit -Member of Parliament (Qers), Halide Türkoğlu – Member of Parliament (Amed), Hüseyin Olan – Member of Parliament (Bedlîs), Ibrahim Akın – Member of Parliament (Izmir), Iskender Bayhan – Member of Parliament (Istanbul), Kezban Konukçu – Member of Parliament (Istanbul), Mahmut Dindar – Member of Parliament (Wan), Mehmet Rüştü Tiryaki – Member of Parliament (Êlih), Mehmet Zeki Irmez – Member of Parliament (Şırnex), Nejla Demir – Member of Parliament (Agirî), Nevroz Uysal Aslan – Member of Parliament (Şırnex), Perihan Koca – Member of Parliament (Mersin), Omer Faruk Hülakü – Member of Parliament (Bingöl), Omer Ocalan -Member of Parliament (Riha), Onur Düşünmez -Member of Parliament (Hakkari), Ozgül Saki – Member of Parliament (Istanbul), Sabahat Erdoğan Sarıtaş – Member of Parliament (Siirt), Saliha Aydeniz – Member of Parliament (Merdin), Semra Çağlar Gökalp – Member of Parliament (Bedlis), Serhat Eren – Member of Parliament (Amed), Sevda Karaca -Member of Parliament (Dilok), Sevilay Celenk – Member of Parliament (Amed), Sümeyye Boz – Member of Parliament (Mûş), Vezir Parlak – Member of Parliament (Hakkari), Yılmaz Hun – Member of Parliament (Iğdır),Zülküf Uçar -Member of Parliament (Wan).