Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça are, respectively, a literature professor and a primary school teacher. Both were fired by the Erdoğan-led purges. Each day they gather with supporters at Ankara’s Yuksel Street near a statue to commemorate human rights. These two intellectuals have been on hunger strike for more than 80 days. They are kept alive by lemon and saltwater. Both are in perilous health. Onur Karahanli of the Chamber of Doctors of Ankara, said, "They are now in a very critical period, where their nervous and cardiovascular systems are being damaged after two months of hunger." Outside Turkey there is little news coverage of their vigil.
photo credit: Paolo Pellegrin NYT
An extermination and exploitation machine that works ceaselessly
200,000 dead, more than 2,000.000 refugees
The lucky ones will eventually cross the Mediterranean and reach the shore alive. They will be packed in ports and railway stations, walk for days without water, find hatred, indifference and exploitation, meet police truncheons, border guards and electric fences. And this is their only alternative to war and death that rages in their country
The autonomous, self-managed Social Solidarity Clinics and Pharmacies in Greece, which gathered in Korinthos in our 4th nationwide meeting, decided to join forces with all the solidary people on the greek islands, who are supporting the refugees of war arriving in thousands - most of them women and children. We decided to support with all our strength our sisters and brothers, the refugees.
Press Release
The 4th National Meeting of the autonomous Social Clinics - Pharmacies of Solidarity (SCPS) concluded successfully on the 20-21 of June at Korinthos.
The several SCPSs coming from all around Greece shared their experience regarding the continual exclusion of uninsured patients from access to NHS. In addition, this exclusion affects also the immigrants with no papers, which are constantly increased due to the war reefuges that are keep coming. The disgrace of the concentration camps continues and individuals are still kept prisoners without having committed any crime. The SCPSs are in alignment with the constant demand of the antiracist movement for the abolition of the camps. In the next period they have decided to take initiatives towards the empowerment of this fight with the core message “There is no health without freedom”.
Press Release
Congratulations!
We would like publicly to congratulate the Minister of Health for his last decision to order the police invasion to Metropolitan Community Clinic at Elliniko and Medecins du Monde in Athens with the supposed allegation of drug trafficking. Our congratulations also to the rest super detectives: policemen, legal personnel and National Organization for Medicines employees. The state shows once more how decisive and powerful it is and shows that nothing can stop it to bring into action its motto: ”All centers that produce anomy must close”.
Read more: For the police "visit" at Metropolitan Community Clinic at Elliniko and Medecins du Monde