Kurdish refugee on 40th day of hunger strike
25 Jun 2005 14:50 GMT
Zulkuf Murat Bora, more widely known as Bahoz, was forced to leave Turkey in 1995 due to his political beliefs and the repression he was facing by the Turkish state as a direct result of his struggle for the rights and liberty of the Kurdish people.
Bahoz has been on hunger strike since the 17th of May. The Greek Minister of Public Order promised to grant him asylum for one year due to “humanitarian reasons”, as long as he gave up his hunger strike and his right to claim political asylum. Bahoz has refused such “humanitarian” help from the State and continues his struggle for political asylum. Since the 19th of June he has stopped taking any sugar or salt in his water. As a result, he is now in the hospital in a very critical condition.
At the same time another political asylum seeker -Yusuf Temiz- is being kept in a detention centre in Greece and is under the threat of imminent deportation in Turkey, where he faces death penalty.
Timeline of Solidarity events:
* June 24: occupation of the School of Theatre in Thessaloniki and solidarity action with Bahoz and Temiz in Edinburgh, Scotland
* June 23: demonstration in Athens and solidarity action in Patras.
* June 22: occupation of a radio station in Patras and press conference by the Committee of Constitutional Rights in Athens.
* June 21: 1,000 people demonstrate in Thessaloniki and Volos. Earlier on, occupation of the EU info centre in Thessaloniki[Links: why i chose to go on hunger strike | Athens IMC]
additional: old information
realist 26.Jun.2005 02:08
there must be an old information about Yusuf Temiz's trial. Actually there is no "death penalty" in turkey, since the last configuration on laws. probably he is facing a "life-time in jail" sentence. so maybe you would like to correct it. Correct information must be used to fight against fascism and injustice (in turkey esp.).
solidarity.
About Temiz
to the realist 27.Jun.2005 17:36
You are right. Officially there is no death penalty in Turkey. However, many people die in prisons after continuous tortures. Yusuf Temiz was kept in prisons in Turkey for more than ten years. Many human right comittees, NGOs and political groups have already expressed their concerns about Temiz's life to the greek government. Also, he has never been on trial. He visited Greece on 14th April 2005 in order to apply for political asylum to the Greek Ministery of Public Order. They rejected his application and later on he was arrested in Santorini and since then he is kept in a detention centre. The Greek Department of Amnesty International has made many statements to the Greek Government, but hasn't received any answer yet. The way the Greek Government handled Temiz's case is contradictional to the Geneva Convention, the European Convention of Human Rights and the UN Convention of Torture Prevention.
Bahoz hunger striker//medical update
Athens IMC 28.Jun.2005 16:41
MEDICAL ANNOUNCEMENT-UPDATE
Today, 27th of June 2005, ZULKUF MURAT BORA (BAHOZ) is still persisting on his decision of drinking only water without any sugar or salt. During his medical exam, we came out with the following results:
Height: 1,72m
Weight: 49kg (initially his weight was 65kg)
BMI (Body Maze Indicator): 16,5
MAMC (Perimetre of arm): 22,3
As a consequence, his symptoms are intense weakness and tiredeness, low blood pressure when attempting to stand up, inability to walk, repeated episodes of hypogluchaemia combined with intense headache and perspiration, intense nautia, intense pain in the muscles and swollen lips and tongue.
The paraclinical exam indicated: persisting hypogluchaemia, hyperurichaemia, leucopenia.
Conclusion: Once more we clarify that the health condition of the hunger striker is currently very critical, since the irreversible damage of vital organs (especially on the brain - permanent neurological damage) is more obvious, which is indicated by the rapid weight loss (-1 kg every 48hrs)
Athens IMC
The White Tower was occupied-Solidarity with Bahoz!
Athens IMC 28.Jun.2005 17:16
The White Tower in Thessaloniki, Greece was occupied today as a solidarity action with Bahoz, who is today on his 43rd day of hunger strike.
The whole area was surrounded by police forces and riot police. The group of people who occupied the White Tower took down the Greek flag and replaced it with the black one. The event was a headline to most mainstream media in Greece and Cyprus.
Today at 7pm there will be a demo in Thessaloniki about Bahoz and the Kurdish who were killed by a Turkish F-16. It is really important to make widely known the political reasons that forced Bahoz on a hunger strike.
You can see pictures of the occupation and a video here: