GERMAN MP Martin Dolzer today became the first non-Kurdish politician to join the hunger strike led by Kurdish MP Leyla Guven in Turkey.

The Die Linke deputy for Hamburg said he joined the hunger strike on Sunday night in solidarity with those demanding the end of the isolation against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan.

“The ongoing hunger strike is not to die, but to bring democracy and peace,” he said. “The hunger strike is a scream against this long-lasting injustice.

“This scream needs to be heard by the world public opinion. Like Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Abdullah Ocalan could play a crucial role in the democratisation of Turkey and peace in the Middle East.”

Mr Dolzer called for the attention of Western states and the German government on the hunger strikers.

“If the demands of Leyla Guven and the other prisoners and activists on hunger strike are accepted, they will survive,” he said. “That’s why I call on the federal German government and the EU to play a positive role as interlocutors and I urge them to put pressure on the Erdogan government.”

Mr Dolzer has been organising meetings with representatives of churches and civil society organisations to raise awareness of the treatment of Mr Ocalan, who has been held in isolation in an Imrali island prison since 1999.

As many as 5,000 people are believed to have joined the hunger strike initiated by Ms Guven on November 8 2018.

Mr Dolzer declared that he will continue with his hunger strike until the next parliamentary session in Hamburg tomorrow.

He ended his statement with the words “Berxwedan Jiyane,” meaning “Resistance is Life.”