According to doctors, with the indefinite hunger strike entering its 64th day, two Turkish educators dismissed unlawfully by statuary decrees of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) following the attempted coup attempt are under critical condition.
soL news portal talk with Gülman and Özakça, who sent a message to the readers. "I salute everyone with resistance and hope," says Özakça. He says that "this is not only a two-person resistance but that of millions." Özakça stated that they lead towards the victory.
Despite the fact that their medical conditions are deteriorating, the two educators Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça decisively continue the hunger strike.
With the indefinite hunger strike entering its 64th day, two Turkish educators are under critical condition according to Chamber of Medical Doctors of Ankara.
Nuriye Gülmen, an academic, and Semih Özakça, a teacher, were dismissed unlawfully by statuary decrees by the ruling AKP government following the attempted coup of July 2016. Almost five thousand academics have been dismissed since then.
Along with four other public sector workers, Gülmen and Özakça, who have been in indefinite hunger strike for more than two months have been protesting the dismissals for five months, in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, on a street half-kilometer away from the National Assembly.
The press statement of the Chamber of Medical Doctors of Ankara on the medical conditions of Gülmen and Özakça shows the severity of the situation. The doctors state that both have started to experience blood pressure and pulse disorders, and their immune system have weakened significantly.
The statement also noted that the strike is already behind the critical 45th day and the prodromal signs of the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome have been observed. Of the patients who contract this disease, 10 to 15% of them directly lose their lives and 77% of them die due to further infections.
Despite the fact that their medical conditions are deteriorating, the two educators Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça are determined to continue the hunger strike.
SOLIDARITY MESSAGE FROM DAVID HARVEY
Marxist academic David Harvey has released a solidarity video for Gülmen and Özakça. “I express my solidarity with my friends and colleagues in Turkey who are on hunger strike. The sooner Turkey gets back to democracy, the better it will be. I support all the actions in that support with all my heart taking place in Turkey," Harvey says.
