The International Department of the Irish Republican Socialist Party welcomed news that the Turkish government announced yesterday that it will not build more F-type prisons and has released an additional 21 prisoners to their families due to deteriorating health from participation in the death fast.

Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk, speaking for the Turkish government, told the Anatolia news agency on Sunday:

"From now on, not a single F-type prison will be built anywhere in Turkey."

A spokesperson for the IRSP said:

"The shift to the F-type prisons was an attempt to destroy the organisational structures within the prisons, akin to the renewed denial of political status to republican and republican socialist prisoners of war in the prisons of the occupied six counties.. The revolutionary prisoners in Turkey responded last October with a massive hunger strike.

"In December, the Turkish government attacked the protesting prisoners with the army, resulting in the deaths of dozens of prisoners, but this did not break the determination of the prisoners and their death fasts continued. Saturday another hunger striker died, bringing the death toll from the hunger strike alone to 29. That martyr was Sevgi Erdogan, a 47-year old woman prisoner.

"Like over 50 other prisoners, Sevgi Erdogan was among those released to her family due to failing health, who continued her hunger strike amidst her family. There are approximately 180 prisoners presently on hunger strike in Turkey."

The IRSP spokesperson continued:

"The IRSP salute the bravery and determination of the Turkish hunger strikers. Through their struggle and sacrifice, they have forced the Turkish government to back away from their plan to move all political prisoners to F-type prisons and have exposed the reactionary nature of the Turkish state. We wish them a complete victory over the fascist Turkish state.

"IRSP International Secretary Terry h Earcain only recently returned from a visit to Turkey where he visited with some of the Turkish hunger strikers, in a display of our solidarity with these Turkish prisoners and serving as a witness to the justice of their struggle and the inhumanity of the Turkish government. He was deeply moved by what he saw, bringing all to clearly back to him the images of dying comrades in the Irish hunger strike of 1981, whose 20th anniversary we commemorate this year.

"It is sadly ironic that in this 20th anniversary year of the 1981 Irish hunger strike, which resulted in the death of three Irish National Liberation Army prisoners of war and their seven IRA comrades, our prisoners are languishing in gaols throughout this island, once again deprived of the political status their comrades died to win 20 years ago. In addition to our comrades and other republican prisoners being denied recognition as political prisoners and prisoners of war, the Dublin regime continues to hold INLA volunteer Dessie O'Hare in Portlaoise, despite strand three of the 'Good Friday Agreement' clearly stating that as a member of an organisation on cease-fire he should benefit from the early release scheme and despite Irish Justice Minister John O'Donoghue having stated that Dessie O'Hare, "is a qualifying prisoner."

In conclusion, the spokesperson said:

"While we welcome the announcement of the Turkish government, we have our own experience of deception on such matters from the state. Accordingly, we watch the unfolding of events in Turkey with eager anticipation. We hope that the hunger strike of the revolutionary political prisoners in Turkey ends in complete triumph, but we recognise that the cost of this victory was high--the death fast having claimed 29 lives and the assault by the army on the prisons in December taking another 30 lives.

"We take this opportunity to also express the IRSP's solidarity with the move than 4,000 prisoners throughout Bolivia now on hunger strike. We understand that in addition to having launched this massive hunger strike, in the Cochabamba prison several women prisoners have gone to the roof of the prison and crucified themselves and another 300 women prisoners threaten to sew their lips together. In the Santa Cruz prison alone 3,000 prisoners are on hunger strike, many even refusing to take liquids. These prisoners are demanding a new sentencing law which the Bolivian Congress is considering. As we saw in Ireland and Turkey, only those engaged in a truly just struggle are prepared to make such sacrifices and justice these heroic martyrs will have!"

STATEMENT ENDS