The death fasts of the political prisoners in Turkey have reached their 208th day and the number of deaths during the last few weeks has reached 22. The total number of losses resulting from these actions has already passed 50. We are publishing an update on the situation by our Turkish correspondents.

We received this letter from some Turkish comrades, who have sent us some notes on the situation in Turkey, and we are publishing it for the interest of our readers.

A special report from Turkey which analyses the situation of the political prisoners in Turkish jails, the recent hunger strikes and prison raids by the security forces. The article examines the tactics taken by the prisoners from a working class perspective.

The arrest of Abdullah Ocalan the leader of the PKK (Workers Party of Kurdistan), has brought the oppression of the Kurdish people to the attention of the whole world. Workers around the world must support the struggle of the Kurdish people against the oppression they suffer at the hands of the Turkish regime. However, it is not sufficient to simply support the cause of the Kurdish people. It is also necessary to explain what lies behind the oppression of the Kurds and show a concrete way out of the impasse they are facing. Here we try to offer a Marxist analysis.