Commemoration in Memory of Gürkan Türkoğlu

Commemoration in Memory of Gürkan Türkoğlu
Berlin Yorum Kulturverein, Dresdenerstr. 27, 10999
08/07/2026, 18:00

Gürkan Türkoğlu, a socialist revolutionary from Turkey, went on hunger strike for 267 days in protest against the isolation regime in S-R-Y prisons. On 13 April, he was kidnapped from his cell in Antalya and taken to a hospital room.

There, he was handcuffed to a bed and force-fed. The Malta and Tokyo Declarations of the World Medical Association both prohibit physicians from participating in the force-feeding of hunger strikers, as this can result in serious health issues, including Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome.

Many comrades have previously become permanently disabled as a result of force-feeding. More than 140 revolutionaries have died from hunger strikes in Turkey alone. Many comrades have lost their lives to force-feeding in many parts of the world. In 1974, Holger Meins died as a result of being force-fed in West Germany. Once again, the fascist state tortured a hunger striker with full consent. Gürkan refused to surrender, winning victory through his hunger strike when the state was forced to accept his demands. Together with his two other comrades, he achieved victory and they were transferred out of the severe isolation regime. 

However, Gürkan’s body was unable to recover from the negative effects of force-feeding and he was in intensive care unit for the last two months. We received the sad news today that he has passed away.

From a young age, Gürkan was a revolutionary in the ranks of Dev-Genç (Revolutionary Youth), militant participant in anti-fascist and anti-imperialist politics.

We will honour his memory and invite everyone who wishes to pay their respects at Yorum Kulturverein at 18:00 in 8th of July.

ISOLATION IS TORTURE

TORTURE IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

DOWN WITH PRISONS

POWER TO THE COMRADES WHO ARE HELD CAPTIVE IN THE DUNGEONS OF THE FASCISTS AND IMPERIALISTS

THOSE WHO FORGET THE CAPTIVES AND MARTYRS OF WAR WILL FORGET THE WAR ITSELF

WE ARE PEOPLES, WE ARE RIGHT, WE WILL WIN