European Parliament President Martin Schulz called on prisoners in Turkey who are on a hunger strike to end it and also urged Turkish officials to do their utmost to address the demands of the prisoners, Today's Zaman reported.
He expressed his concerns in a letter he sent to Turkish Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin on Tuesday.
Noting that the hunger strike in prisons is now at a critical point, he said he has concerns over the health conditions of those who are on the hunger strike.
"I am confident that Turkish authorities are doing their utmost to provide the best medical assistance to all the hunger strikers," said Schulz, adding, "I call on the hunger strikers to put an end to an action which is putting their life in peril and to revert to political dialogue as a way to advance their requests," he said.
"I call on the Turkish authorities to address the concerns of the protesters. In this respect, I welcome the government's proposed legislation amending the Code of Criminal Procedure [CMK] to allow the use of [one's] mother tongue during court proceedings. I hope this will be implemented swiftly and fully," he also said.