PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned in İmralı High Security Type F Closed Prison, has been held under severe isolation conditions for 22 years. An indefinite rotating hunger strike has been going on for 267 days demanding the end of the isolation on Öcalan, who is not allowed to meet with his lawyers and family. Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş, who are held in İmralı together with Öcalan, are also not allowed to meet with the family and their lawyers.

 

Despite his legal right to make a phone call once a week, Öcalan could only make two phone calls during his detention of 22 years, and on 25 March he was able to talk to his brother Mehmet Öcalan for 4 and a half minutes. Regarding this interrupted meeting, Öcalan said, “The state is playing this all wrong, and so are you. This is not legal, nor it is right. I want my lawyers to come here to meet with me”. Although his family and lawyers applied to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office dozens of times in the 147 days after this meeting, demanding an "immediate meeting", they did not receive any positive or negative response. 

 

Talking about the isolation in Imrali and its reflection on society, the nephew of the PKK Leader, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Urfa Deputy Ömer Öcalan said, "The chaos in the Middle East will not end until the isolation ends."

 

'THE KEY TO SOLUTION IS MR. ÖCALAN'

 

Underlining that there is a strong resistance against isolation, Ömer Öcalan said, “Political prisoners from prisons all around Turkey have been on hunger strike for months against the isolation imposed on Mr. Öcalan. Their demand is the isolation on Mr. Öcalan to be removed completely and a way for dialogue to be opened. There is an honorable resistance in prisons. There is a struggle led by the HDP not only in prisons but also outside. Efforts are being made to break the isolation on Mr. Öcalan and to resolve the Kurdish question through democratic means. The addressee in the solution of the Kurdish problem is Mr. Öcalan. As a result, the isolation on Mr. Öcalan is intensified.”

 

'THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A CONSTITUTION' 

 

Drawing attention to the lengthy detention period of Öcalan, Ömer Öcalan said that as a result of the 200-day hunger strikes launched on 8 November 2018 under the leadership of Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chairman and Hakkari MP Leyla Güven, lawyers of Öcalan was able to meet with their client on May 2-22, June 12-18 and 7. Reminding that Öcalan said, "I will solve the Kurdish problem in a week", the nephew Öcalan said: "This is why he is held under heavy isolation conditions. Right now there is no such thing as law or constitution in Turkey. This is an anti-democratic and dirty policy. As the HDP we once again repeat that the solution to the Kurdish question is Mr. Öcalan. They are not doing anything to solve this problem. Turkey is in a deadlock regarding the Kurdish question. And this deadlock is becoming more visible all through the Middle East."

 

'THE WAR WILL COME TO AN END'

 

Expressing that PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan is fighting for all peoples to live a common life together, MP Öcalan said, “Democratic Modernity is possible to be implemented in the Middle East, but monism can not be implemented. Mr. Öcalan wants the right to live not only for the Kurds but for everyone. The most concrete example of this is Rojava. All peoples live together, this is an example for the Middle East. In many places, people cannot tolerate each other, they fight each other, but if Mr. Öcalan's paradigm is applied, the wars will come to an end. Some governments do not want this to happen. The AKP-MHP has no tolerance for peoples to live together, the only thing that comes out of their mouths is monism."

 

'WE ORGANIZE LIFE'

 

Reminding that Turkish warplanes bombed a health center in the Sikêniyê village of Shengal on August 17, Ömer Öcalan continued: "While Mr. Öcalan reiterate his insistance on life, Turkey bombs hospitals in Shengal. Turkey doesn't want Shengal to govern itself. We don't need more wars, deaths or blood. We need a dignified life. And it is only possible with Mr. Öcalan. He created a paradigm for all peoples and offered a common life. We promote life. Mr. Öcalan promotes life. Mr. Öcalan represents the will of the Kurdish people. Kurdish people will not sieze to exist no matter how many of them Turkey kills. We organize life while Turkey organizes racist attacks that kill people. Doors to İmralı must be opened and negotiations must start."

 

MA / Emrullah Acar