France on Saturday expressed its “consternation” and its deep sadness following the death of Turkish lawyer Ebru Timtik who went on hunger strike for 238 days, calling on Ankara to respect human rights.
“France honors the commitment of this lawyer for the rule of law and the respect of fundamental freedoms, mainly the right to a fair trial,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It said: “Paris calls again on Turkey to respect its international engagements, notably the Convention to safeguard human rights and the fundamental freedoms of the Council of Europe.”
The Ministry demanded the quick release of lawyer Aytac Unsal, also on a hunger strike for more than 200 days.
Last Thursday, the People’s Law Office said on Twitter that Timtik had been on strike in demand of a fair trial, and that she died after her pulse had stopped earlier in the day in an Istanbul hospital.
International lawyers rights groups said that Timtik, sentenced to more than 13 years in prison, and colleague Unsal began fasting in April “to strengthen their demand for fair trials and the administration of justice in Turkey.”
The two lawyers had said they would “persist in their hunger strike even if it leads to their deaths,” according to the Aug. 11 statement by the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, the International Association of Lawyers and others, according to Reuters.
This is not the first time a prisoner in Turkey dies from a hunger strike.
Helen Bolek, an activist of the anti-imperialist cultural team “Yoram Group” demanding freedom of expression, died on April 3 this year following 288 days of hunger strike.
