Turkey: CHP lawmakers stage 24-hour hunger strikes

By Meltem Öztürk

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies observed a 24-hour long hunger strike Thursday in support for an academic and a teacher that were dismissed by government decrees.

Nuriye Gulmen, a professor, and Semih Ozakca, a class teacher, have now been on hunger strike for 64 days.

They both began hunger strike on March 10 in capital Ankara after they were dismissed by a state of emergency decree over July 15 defeated coup attempt in Turkey.

The CHP lawmakers, Ali Seker, Orhan Saribal, Niyazi Nefi Kara and Mehmet Tum, who have lasted their 24-hour hunger strikes at 3 p.m. local time (1200GMT) held a news conference at the Turkey's Grand National Assembly.

Speaking at the conference, Tum call on the government to solve the problems of the protesters "before they die", criticizing that they were dismissed from their jobs without any court ruling.

Tum also call on the protesters to end their hunger strikes and ‘to not put their life at more risk,’ saying that they should at least accept medical treatment.