Torbjorn Jagland issued a statement regarding the continuing Kurdish hunger strikes, underlining that the action should end before some of the strikers lose their life.
A group from the Members of the European Parliament will visit the protesters in Strasbourg, France this week.
Through refusing to eat, the group are calling on the European Council, the EU and international institutions to take action against the discrimination and pressures Turkey puts on Kurdish people.
They are also demanding that representatives of Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture visit Abdullah Öcalan and witness the conditions of his detention.
Jagland said the committee can only be effective if they are able to carry out their mandate without any undue influence or pressure.
The Council of Europe, based in Strasbourg (France), now covers virtually the entire European continent, with 47 member countries.
Founded on 5 May 1949 by 10 countries, the Council of Europe seeks to develop throughout Europe common and democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other human rights guidelines.
By Roni Alasor
16/04/2012 11:11, SS/AKnews
