Serbia is condemning Piroğlu to death with its illegal and arbitrary conduct
The Serbian state with its three-year-long illegal and arbitrary conduct has kept international revolutionary Ecevit Piroğlu imprisoned and is sending him to his death. Piroğlu started his second hunger strike in response to this brazen flouting of the law which has now reached a critical stage. As Piroğlu now completes the 125th day of his second hunger strike that he began on the 12th February 2024, his body continues to waste away and he has dropped to a weight of less than 45 kg.
To prevent his own earlier extradition to the Turkish state, Piroğlu had previously undergone a 136-day-long hunger strike in which his body seriously deteriorated. His right to access healthcare was also denied.
Despite a decision by the Serbian High Court that ruled Piroğlu cannot be handed over to Turkey, he has been imprisoned since 2021. Piroğlu’s arrest by Serbian police on the 12th January 2024 when he was supposed to be released and his subsequent transfer to another prison thinly veiled as a “camp” is evidence that the Serbian state is flouting not only its own laws but also international law and universal human rights.
Ecevit Piroğlu has been in danger of being handed over to the Turkish state as a result of the ongoing under the table negotiations between the Serbian and Turkish states since he was arrested. The original reason for his arrest was on request by the Turkish state. Piroğlu’s extradition to the Turkish state was previously prevented by means of an international campaign and Piroğlu’s own 136-day hunger strike.
Piroğlu’s continued imprisonment despite the ruling of the court is further evidence of the ongoing dirty political negotiations between the Serbian and Turkish states. Serbia, by continuing to imprison Piroğlu, is committing a crime.
With a ruling that Piroğlu’s rearrest and sentencing on the 14th January 2023 was in violation of Serbian law, the Serbian High Court has revealed evidence of a plot being formed to undermine itself.
In the midst of his second hunger strike against the Serbian state’s illegal and arbitrary conduct in its attempt to extradite him to the Turkish state, Piroğlu’s health condition has reached a critical point. A number of his internal organs have started to shut down. He is experiencing fainting, balance problems and dizziness, sight problems, and struggling to speak. Piroğlu’s life is in serious danger.
With this arbitrary detention, the Serbian state is slowly dragging Piroğlu to his death. The Serbian state is solely responsible for anything that might befall Ecevit Piroğlu. We call on the Prisoners Voice Platform (TSP) Serbian state to renounce dirty negotiations with the fascist Turkish state and release Piroğlu immediately, in compliance with international law.
Freedom Ecevit Piroğlu!