CPT: 11TH GENERAL REPORT The preliminary observations made by the Committee's delegation at the end of the visit as well as the subsequent response of the Turkish authorities were published on 7 December 2000, with the authorisation of the Turkish authorities. The full report on the July 2000 ad hoc visit will be published shortly (cf paragraph 16). 6. Since October 2000, the F-type prison project has been at the centre of a coordinated hunger strike campaign, involving hundreds of prisoners in Turkey covered by the 1991 Law to Fight Terrorism. On 6 December 2000, the Turkish Government invited the CPT to carry out a visit to Turkey, in order to contribute to efforts underway aimed at finding a solution capable of bringing the hunger strikes to an end. That visit began on 10 December 2000 and was interrupted on 16 December 2000 (the visit subsequently continued from 10 to 15 January 2001). The CPT's delegation held detailed discussions with the Turkish authorities directly responsible for issues concerning the hunger strikes, including the Minister of Justice. It also had consultations with persons involved in attempts to reach a mediated solution; they included members of the Human Rights Inquiry Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and a group of well-known artists and intellectuals. Further, the delegation held talks at Istanbul Prison and Detention House (Bayrampaşa) with representatives of the principal group of prisoners taking part in the hunger strikes, and it spoke with prisoners who were on hunger strike. On 13 and 14 December 2000, a mediatory team, led by a member of the Human Rights Inquiry Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and including representatives of various nongovernmental organisations, held intensive talks with representatives of the principal group of prisoners taking part in the hunger strikes. However, the talks were suspended during the night of 14 to 15 December 2000, without a solution having been found. On 15 December 2000, the CPT's delegation had further contacts with the prisoner representatives and members of the mediatory team, but was not able at that juncture to identify a means of bringing the hunger strikes to an end. Consequently, the delegation decided to interrupt its visit. 9 On 19 December 2000, security forces intervened simultaneously in twenty prisons where hunger strikes were taking place. In the course of that operation, which ended on 22 December 2000, 32 persons died and a large number of persons were injured. More than 1000 prisoners were transferred to other establishments and, in particular, to three F-type prisons brought into service ahead of schedule. Notwithstanding the interventions, many of the prisoners concerned remained on hunger strike. In the course of 2001, the CPT has continued to play an active role in relation to the abovementioned events and the on-going hunger strike crisis.2 7. Following an invitation from the central authorities in Chişinău, at the end of November 2000, the CPT carried out an ad hoc visit to the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. The Transnistrian region unilaterally declared itself an independent republic in 1991; negotiations aimed at resolving this situation are still taking place. The local authorities of the Transnistrian region cooperated fully with the CPT's delegation. In particular, the delegation was granted access to all places of deprivation of liberty which it wished to visit and to all persons deprived of their liberty which it wished to interview. The former Moldovan parliamentarian Ilie ILASCU was one of the many prisoners interviewed. The CPT is very grateful to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Council's Commissioner for Human Rights and the OSCE Mission to Moldova for the action they took to help pave the way for the Committee's visit. 8. The general trend of good cooperation between CPT visiting delegations and State authorities, at both national and local level, continued throughout 2000. However, as in previous years, there were isolated examples of poor cooperation in police establishments, such as delays in gaining access to the establishments concerned and/or to information which was necessary for the delegation to carry out its task and attempts to deter detained persons from talking with members of the delegation. In one police establishment, a law enforcement official threatened to arrest a delegation member; however, the matter was subsequently resolved amicably. 2 cf. Council of Europe press releases No185a/f01 (of 16 March 2001) and No 295a/f01 (of 24 April 2001)