ISTANBUL - TIHV Chair Metin Bakkalcı said: “In Imralı, a completely different execution system is being implemented and it must be abolished.”

 

Lawyers Association for Freedom (OHD), Contemporary Lawyers Association (CHD), Society and Legal Research Foundation (TOHAV), Civil Society Association in the Penal System (CISST), Human Rights Association (IHD) and Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV). Many bar associations applied to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) on January 12 to meet with PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan.

 

In the application, an "urgent" visit was demanded to Imralı Type F High Security Prison, where Abdullah Ocalan is held. In addition to PKK Leader Ocalan, it was also demanded to meet with the prisoners Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Omer Hayri Konar, who have not been heard from.

 

TIHV President Metin Bakkalcı spoke about their application. Bakkalcı said: "As clearly recommended in the CPT's 2019 reports, isolation practices must be ended immediately."

 

'ISOLATION IS TORTURE'

 

Bakkalcı emphasized that this situation harms the physical, social and mental integrity of people in isolation and said: "Isolation is torture and ill-treatment, no matter who imposes it."

 

Bakkalcı pointed out that isolation policies were described as "torture" in the Istanbul Protocol published in 2022. Bakkalcı reminded the Mandela Rules, which set the standards for the treatment of prisoners in prisons around the world. Bakkalcı stated that isolation is seen as "torture and human rights violation" by the Mandela Rules, the United Nations (UN), of which Turkey is a member, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), affiliated with the council.

 

'ANOTHER SYSTEM IS BEING IMPLEMENTED IN IMRALI'

 

Noting that isolation in Turkey began to be implemented systematically after the 1980 military coup, Bakkalcı said: "In 1991, it was turned into a special article within the Law on Combating Terrorism, as it was known at the time, and although that article was later abolished, it continued de facto. Type F High depending on the article. Secure prisons were built. As of today, they continue to be implemented under different letters, first as Type Y and finally as Type S. Especially after the 1980 military coup, this process of 'ordinalization' is unacceptable. When we come to Imralı Prison, it is a completely different situation there. It is called the Type F High Security Prison, but it is obvious that a completely different execution system is implemented there."

 

'LAWYER AND FAMILY VISITS CANNOT BE BLOCKED'

 

Stating that the bans on viewing Abdullah Ocalan and reminded that this situation was included in the CPT reports as a "human rights violation", Bakkalcı said: "No matter what kind of disciplinary punishment is given, the visit of a lawyer cannot be prevented. As it is known, there were no family visits from 2011 to 2014. There were family visits several times in 2014. After that, there were no family visits until 2019. There were three visits in 2019 and 2020. There was one family visit in 2020. There will be no family visits as of 2020. No disciplinary measures can be an excuse in this regard." 

Pointing out that other prisoners in Imralı were subjected to similar rights violations, Bakkalcı said: "According to the records in TIHV, the other three prisoners in Imralı have not met with any lawyer since 2015. This is an unacceptable situation. It is clear in the 2019 reports of the CPT as recommended, these isolation practices must be ended immediately. We are talking about rights that are necessary for everyone - including people whose views you disagree with. Therefore, this issue is the responsibility of all people."

 

'EFFORTS NEED TO BE INTENSIFIED'

 

Bakkalcı said: "We are making efforts to end solitary confinement practices in prisons, including the special practice in Imralı. These efforts need to be further intensified. This is not just a matter of application, but monitoring, documenting and preventing rights violations to prevent them from recurring." 

 

Emphasizing that there has been deep destruction in the field of human rights in Turkey, Bakkalcı continued as follows: "Currently, there is a great destruction in the world in terms of human rights. Therefore, the idea of a regime based on human rights must be brought to the fore again and we must all work together to make this valid again. It's obvious that we need to make an effort."

 

MA / Esra Solin Dal