The Irish World
Delegation supports hunger strikers

Members of an republican delegation visiting hunger strikers in Turkey have condemned attempts to link their trip to Islamic fundamentalism in the wake of the New York terror attacks.

A four strong group from the Irish Republican Socialist Party and the Dublin-based Turkish Solidarity Group, visited Istanbul last week to support protesters fasting over prison conditions in the country.

Sinn Fein assembly member Alex Maskey also travelled in the Sinn Fein segment of the delegation, prompting Ulster Unionists to accuse republicans of consorting with Muslim fundamentalists.

Members of the delegation rejected the suggestion that the Turkish hunger strike could be linked to the World Trade Centre bombing.

"Bin Laden would hate these people more than he hates the Americans, because they believe in socialism, a Western ideology," IRSP delegation member Terry Harkin said.

"Some of these people are in jail for handing out leaflets," he added. "That is how bad the regime here is. I would personally appeal to Irish people to do anything they can to end this, Members of the delegation attended the funeral of 21 year old Abdulbahri Yusufoglu, who died during their visit after 137 days on hunger strike.

"On Tuesday night of this week Paul Little, Michael Devine and myself sat chatting to Abdulbahri Yusufoglu," Mr Harkin said.

"He was a quiet, mild mannered young man who was in full control of his destiny and was determined to carry on with his protest. He spoke of his commitment to ending the injustice of the F Type prisons and his hopes for the future. 36 hours later we were at his funeral. The Turkish state have nothing to fight this courage with except ever more draconian laws and terror. It confirms the belief, recently expressed through referendum, of the Irish people that this pariah state has no place in mainstream Europe."

Michael Devine, whose own father also called Michael was a 1981 hunger striker, added: "So far 33 lives have been lost by political prisoners and their comrades demonstrating against the forced implementation of the so-called F-type prisons. The Turkish government is clearly engaged in a war against its own people."