ANKARA -- Left-wing prisoners entered the 53rd day of a hunger strike Monday despite an announcement over the weekend that the government had postponed the introduction of cell-based jails, one of the prisoners key demands.
A total of 203 prisoners at 18 jails across Turkey are taking part in the hunger strike, all of whom have not eaten anything for more than 30 days and some for 53 days, in protest at the planned introduction of new cell-based jails.
Prisoners are currently housed in wards containing up to 100 people.
According to a prisoners' relatives group, a number of the prisoners now have serious health problems including blurred vision, intestinal bleeding, diarrhoea and nausea.
The inmates are protesting plans to introduce new jails that are based on single- or three-person sized cells. Prisoners are currently housed in wards containing up to 100 people. Amnesty International this week said the new system could facilitate torture and ill-treatment.
Amnesty International last week said the new system could facilitate torture and ill-treatment.
In addition, the prisoners are calling for an end to the state security court system, the scrapping of anti-terrorism laws and a crackdown on those accused of torturing inmates over the last few years.
Despite having announced a postponement, Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk on Sunday indicated that he will not back down on his plans to implement the new cell-based.
"We have done everything we can," Turk told reporters.
(DPA)