On December 31st, 2013 imprisoned comrades Ergün Mustafa, Rami Syrianos and Michalis Ramadanoglou, who conducted hunger strike since late November in solidarity with prisoner in struggle Spyros Stratoulis, stopped their abstention from eating following this open letter:

Today (December 30th, 2013), after 50 days of hunger strike, I see that the state mechanisms are trying to exhaust me through their neglectfulness. I respond to that by continuing the fight. However I will not allow my decision to be to the detriment of my comrades.

Hunger strikers in solidarity Rami Syrianos, Ergün Mustafa and Michalis Ramadanoglou followed my decision to abstain from food as of November 11th, requesting my acquittal for the fabricated charges pressed against me, in order to receive days of leave from prison again.

I don’t want to let three real fighters on the inside to “fall” just now —Rami Syrianos after 40 days of hunger strike, Ergün Mustafa and Michalis Ramadanoglou after 36 days of hunger strike. I now ask them to adopt my proposal to them, to remain standing and keep both me and our struggle alive. I insistently urged my brothers in solidarity to stop their hunger strike, because they have already accomplished their purpose; that is, they have already transmitted the power of solidarity and the message of collective resistance by standing beside me.

Our bodies and minds have acted as one, and I am able to stay firm thanks to them. Their unbending decision and the act of absolute incorporation into my struggle will remain forever etched in my heart. Their act should also be engraved on the memory of all of us, for it is the culmination of the political responsibility to jointly face the enemy head-on.

Freedom belongs to us; and we will regain our freedom.

I feel like I owed to publicize my request towards my comrades through this open letter.

I continue the hunger strike; we are TOGETHER and will stay TOGETHER until the end.

The passion for freedom is stronger than all prison cells!

Resistance and solidarity unite us and—as of yet—keep us alive.

“Facing our enemies we must declare our attitude simply. We ask for no mercy, and we will make no compromise.” (Terence MacSwiney)

Spyros Stratoulis,

incarcerated in the prison of Larissa