Dismissed educators in critical condition as their hunger strike enters third month

Gülmen and Özakça are on the 181st day of their "I want my job back" protest and on the 61st day of their hunger strike
Wednesday, 10 May 2017 06:38

Academic Nuriye Gülmen who lost her job because of the purge in Turkish universities through state of emergency decrees suffered from low blood pressure on the 61st day of her hunger strike. Gülmen fainted on Monday during the hunger strike she has been staging along with another dismissed teacher Semih Özakça.

Gülmen and Özakça are on the 181st day of their “I want my job back” protest and on the 61st day of their hunger strike. Özakça stated that they will not accept medical treatment and continue the hunger strike. Gülmen lost 8 kilos and Özakça lost 17 kilos.

Demanding to be returned to their jobs, Gülmen, an academic, and Özakça, a primary school teacher, started a sit-in protest in Ankara’s central Kızılay neighbourhood in November 2016. After police intervened in their protest a number of times, Gülmen and Özakça were taken into custody, after which they decided to start a hunger strike on March 9.