Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, who have been on hunger strike for 140 days to demand their jobs back, were taken to the hospital in Turkey's Ankara for the medical examination at the order of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Upon the order of ECHR, the officials decided to take two jailed educators on hunger strike to the hospital for medical examination by the health committee, according to the daily Cumhuriyet. The reports of the health committee about the medical conditions of Gülmen and Özakça were sent to the Forensic Medicine Institution.
Regarding the changes in the body during long-term hunger strikes, the staff physician and a human right activist Şebnem Korur Fincancı stated that the organs and tissues in human body shrink; thus hunger strikers become defenceless against infectious diseases as the immune system suffers.
Reminding that they previously saw some death cases related to infectious disease on hunger strikes, Fincancı determined that particular changes in brain tissue and muscle-related problems can take place in hunger-strikers in the long-term.
Stating that if B1 vitamins are used during the hunger strike, the complications of these problems can be lessened, Korur emphasized: "This is a protest, and they (referring Gülmen and Özakça) do not expect to die. It is not a suicide. It is a way of protest to make their voices heard under the conditions that these people think there is no other way. There could be damages on brain tissue in the long duration hunger strike. They are conscious for a long time, but they will face certain challenges after a while."
Academic Nuriye Gülmen and teacher Semih Özakça were fired by a government decree under the state of emergency imposed after the July 15 coup bid last year. On March 9, they went on a hunger strike to challenge their dismissal and were jailed in May on "terror" charges. They were both detained and accused of belonging to a banned far-left group. Prosecutors want them jailed for 20 years.
On July 26, Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) protested unjust dismissing and imprisonment of two educators on hunger-strike, Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, in front of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The police attacked the demonstrators after TKP members issued a press release.
