A chara, - I would like to congratulate The Irish Times, and Kitty Holland in particular, for the coverage given to the ongoing tragedy that is the hunger strike in Turkey.
The feature in your edition of last Saturday was a tremendous boost for those of us who have been campaigning to raise public awareness of the situation in Turkey and of that country's human rights record.
We were especially fortunate in the timing of the report in that it must surely have encouraged people to come to the very successful rally that was held that day attracting support from a wide variety of groups and parties.
It is essential that the pressure be kept on Turkey not only to enter negotiations with the prisoners but to grant their demands and end the daily abuse and torture that is the lot of those with left-wing political beliefs.
If this is the sort of country for which our Government wants to enlarge the European Union, it confirms for me the wisdom the Irish people showed in rejecting the Nice Treaty because they had insufficient time to debate the document.- Is mise,
Cllr Dessie Ellis, Dunsink Road, Finglas, Dublin 11.