ISTANBUL - There has been no news from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan and 3 other prisoners for 32 months. While the silence of international institutions continued, friends of the Kurds shouted the call for "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, solution to the Kurdish issue" in more than 100 countries.

 

The state of not being able to hear from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held under severe isolation conditions in İmralı Type F High Security Closed Prison for 24 years, and other prisoners there, Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Ömer Hayri Konar, has reached its 32nd month.

 

The last news from Abdullah Öcalan was on March 25, 2021, through the phone call he had with his brother Mehmet Öcalan, which was interrupted.

 

462 APPLICATIONS WERE LEFT UNANSWERED

 

While the absolute isolation, referred to as "incommunicado" in international law literature, continues in İmralı, the initiatives of lawyers and families continue. Asrın Law Firm lawyers and families submit new applications to both Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and İmralı Prison Directorate every week, requesting a meeting. Since the last contact with Abdullah Öcalan on March 25, 2021, 321 lawyers and 141 families have applied to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and İmralı Prison; however, all these applications were either left unanswered or blocked with unjustified "disciplinary penalties".

 

A NEW 'DISCIPLINARY PENALTY'

 

Lawyers of Asrın Law Firm last applied to Bursa Execution Judgeship on October 10, requesting the family meetings with Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners in İmralı, Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Ömer Hayri Konar. In the application, a request was made to ensure family meetings, to provide a copy of the file of a new "disciplinary penalty" investigation, if any, and to cancel it in case of a new "penalty".

 

Responding to the lawyers' application on October 13, the Execution Judgeship stated that there was a new "disciplinary punishment" given against Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners; however, no information was shared about when this disciplinary punishment was given, why it was given, or with what number it was given.

 

REASON: IT WAS REFLECTED IN THE PRESS

 

The judgeship rejected the request for a sample file, which was the subject of disciplinary punishment and requested by the lawyers, on the grounds that it was "reported in the press".

 

'URGENT' APPLICATION TO CPT

 

Asrın Law Firm made an application to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) regarding the developments between April 30, 2023 and July 31, 2023 for Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners in İmralı. In the application, which listed 7 different demands regarding İmralı, it was stated that the right to visit a lawyer and family was illegally prevented and the state of "incommunicado", that is, not being able to receive news, continued uninterruptedly. For all these reasons, the lawyers warned the CPT that "Tomorrow may be too late" and asked the CPT to go beyond the visit schedule and visit İmralı "urgently".

 

INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN

 

While the lawlessness in Imrali continues, the international campaign launched on October 10 for Abdullah Öcalan is also growing. The campaign launched by the friends of the Kurdish people with the slogan "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, solution to the Kurdish issue" was announced with a statement made in Strasbourg, France. Simultaneously, statements of support for the campaign came from 74 different centers around the world. In a short time, freedom for Öcalan and a solution to the Kurdish issue were demanded with various demonstrations and events held in more than 100 countries.

 

MA / Ergin Çağlar