Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Leyla Güven, an imprisoned MP for the pro-Kurdish HDP Party in Turkey, has been on hunger strike for the last 69 days. Leyla has been on hunger strike in a Turkish prison against her unjust detention since 8 November and is now in a critical condition. She faces over 31 years in prison for simply being critical of the Turkish regime, after she rightly condemned the Turkish invasion of Afrin and other human rights abuses. Over 260 Kurdish political prisoners have now joined her on hunger strike in Turkish jails. They are calling for her release and for an end to the isolation of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. We know that prisoners on hunger strike have been attacked in their cells. Cell confinements and harsh disciplinary punishments are worsening the situation in the jails.

As Leyla's condition is now deteriorating it is imperative that the international community acts to save her life. Will the Minister of State urgently raise this case with his Turkish counterpart and the Turkish authorities? Last weekend, Sinn Féin's MEP for the North, Martina Anderson, travelled to Turkey and met with Leyla's daughter and her lawyers to extend our solidarity and discuss her condition. Along with other international observers, she attempted to visit Leyla in jail. They were denied entry to the prison by the Turkish authorities and there were tense scenes outside the prison after the were refused entry. They witnessed at first hand the tactics of the heavily armed Turkish police when they visited the headquarters of the HDP Party and saw lines of police in riot gear when they left the building.

It is clear that ending the illegal policy of prison isolation is key to advancing the peace process. The solitary confinement of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and other political prisoners is a gross violation of their human rights. Any form of isolation or solitary confinement is strictly prohibited under the United Nations minimum rules of the treatment of prisoners, also known as the Mandela rules, which were adopted by the UN in May 2015. What is happening to this prisoner is wrong and he is a key to unlocking the conflict between the Kurds and Turkey.

Our own history has many examples of hunger striking prisoners. We are remembering the centenary of An Chéad Dáil this month and one of the Deputies elected to that historic assembly was Terence MacSwiney, who later became mayor of Cork and who died on hunger strike in 1920. I remember vividly Bobby Sands, MP, and Deputy Kieran Doherty dying on hunger strike in 1981.

At this critical time for Leyla Güven I urge the Minister of State to raise the circumstances surrounding her arrest and imprisonment urgently with the Turkish Government and join the international action to try to save her life. It is crucial. After 69 days on hunger strike, the woman is at a critical phase. We need to raise our voice. She is facing a long prison sentence merely for going on social media to raise the issue of the illegal invasion of Afrin and other legitimate points of view in respect of the situation in Turkey and the impact it is having on the Kurdish people. The Irish Government needs to raise its voice and condemn what is happening in Turkey and particularly to this woman.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I wish to thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

Ireland is very concerned with the hunger strike of the Kurdish prisoners, in particular that of Ms Leyla Güven, the deputy of the People's Democratic Party, HDP, who has been on hunger strike since 7 November 2018 and is reportedly in a critical condition. It is our understanding that over 160 Kurdish prisoners in 36 prisons are now on hunger strike.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have in the past conveyed our concerns to the Turkish embassy in Dublin in regard to the arrest of HDP MPs, along with other elected politicians, journalists and academics over the past two years. We are well aware of the challenge faced by Turkey in July 2016, with the attempted coup d'état, but the state of emergency is over and the rule of law and freedom of expression must prevail.

We are worried at the reports of a serious deterioration in Ms Güven's health and would strongly urge the Turkish authorities to take urgent measures to alleviate the situation, including her immediate transfer to a hospital where she can get adequate medical attention and treatment and enable contact with her lawyers and family. It is of particular concern that the delegation of MEPs and lawyers who sought to meet with Ms Güven on Saturday were denied entry.

Ms Güven's hunger strike is specifically related to the rights of lawyers and family members to visit Abdullah Öcalan, the head of the Kurdish Workers' Party, and it is our hope that the decision over the weekend by the Turkish authorities to allow Mr. Öcalan a visit from his brother for the first time in two years will be the start of a process leading to the resolution of this particular crisis.

On the wider Kurdish issue, it is clear that this can only be addressed through dialogue aiming at establishing a peaceful, comprehensive and sustainable solution. Ireland has called for the resumption of such a dialogue to allow the political process to resume and we continue to support efforts to maintain contacts between the Kurdish and Turkish sides through our funding of the Democratic Progress Institute's Turkey programme.

On the wider issue of rights within Turkey, we have been consistent in expressing our grave concern at the disproportionate scale and scope of measures taken by the Turkish authorities in the wake of the failed coup attempt in July 2016. Together with our European partners we have conveyed our concerns on the backsliding on the rule of law and fundamental rights, the deterioration of the independence and functioning of the Judiciary and the restrictions, detentions, imprisonments and other measures targeting parliamentarians, journalists, human rights defenders and others exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms.

I want to assure the Deputy that the Irish Government will continue to monitor developments in Turkey on the specific issue of the hunger strike and also on the wider issues of human rights, freedom of expression, rule of law and democracy.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Since the abandonment of the Kurdish-Turkish peace initiative in 2015, Turkey has intensified its military war and political repression of the Kurds. The suppression of political parties and the jailing of Kurdish political leaders has become the norm as Turkish democracy has descended into authoritarian rule.

There are now an estimated 260,000 political prisoners in Turkey. Human rights organisations are reporting that human rights violations against prisoners are on the increase. The Government needs to raise its voice against gross human rights violations. The Turkish Government must stop the torture of prisoners, respect freedom of speech, uphold the rule of law and respect the role of democratically elected representatives. It should also respect its own laws and release the MP, Leyla Güven, and embrace an opportunity to advance the peace process.

Does the Minister of State agree that the only long-term solution to the Kurdish issue is through peaceful and democratic dialogue, not isolation and imprisonment? In any country where parliamentary democracy functions properly, Members of Parliament and leaders of political parties are not put in prison for their political beliefs. Yet that is the day-to-day reality in Turkey and there is now the real possibility that an MP might die on hunger strike. I again urge the Minister of State to urgently raise Leyla Güven’s case with the Turkish Government and join the international acts to save her life.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I again thank the Deputy for raising this important question. I also thank all others who have made contributions. We share the concerns expressed over the Kurdish prisoners' hunger strike and it is clear the issue needs to be urgently addressed before it deteriorates. As Ms Güven's condition is most serious, I reiterate that the Turkish authorities need to take urgent measures to alleviate the situation, including immediately transferring her to a hospital where she can get adequate medical attention and treatment, and enable contact with her lawyers and family.

The Deputy also raised the wider Kurdish conflict. I repeat that there can be no security solution and the matter can only be addressed through dialogue - something which we are all familiar on this island - leading to a peaceful, comprehensive and sustainable solution. That dialogue needs to resume.

As I stated earlier, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have conveyed our concerns on human rights issues to the Turkish Embassy in Dublin in the past and we will continue to raise our concerns about any Turkish Government actions that fall short of the international standards and obligations to which Turkey has subscribed and committed itself.

Turkey remains a key partner of the European Union and as such when Ireland along with our European partners raise these human rights issues, we do so out of a desire to see a strong, secure and democratic Turkey in which all can find their place and make their individual contributions to the country's future.