Eartquake victims on hunger strike

Earthquake victims who lost their houses in two major earthquakes that hit the province of Van in 2011, on 23 October and 9 November, went on an alternate hunger strike city early September. The hunger strike of earthquake victims in Anatolia container city is going on for 51 days today.

A group of victims went on a hunger strike after they were ordered to leave the container city despite the fact that they had nowhere else to go after losing their houses and everything else in the earthquakes. Four among them turned the strike to death fast on 12 September after the governor’s office ordered power cut-off in the container city. The four later ended the death fast upon the calls by BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) officials.

Following the power cut, the mosque in the container city was closed and the security staff was also recalled from duty. The container city is currently hosting 120 families made up of 400 people.

Their demands for a permanent solution to their housing problem still remains unanswered.

As the hunger strike in Anatolia container city is still going on, earthquake victims in Tahir Pa?a container city are also facing challenging living conditions, being denied both electricity and water for the last two months.

The 25 families in the container city are suffering from many health problems in the already present severe weather conditions. They are lighting a fire to warm themselves.

Speaking on behalf of the 25 families in Tahir Pa?a container city,  Abdülselam Diler pointed out that officials wanted to intimidate them by denying them shelter, electricity and water. Diler told that they could not evacuate the container city unless they were provided with a house to stay in.

He added that they would also go on hunger strike to voice their demands and to have authorities satisfy them.

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