URFA - Mehmet Öcalan, brother of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who finds the European Council decision positive but criticizes the time given to Turkey, said, "Europe can solve this problem if it wants to. The CPT can do whatever it wants. But they don't."

 

There has been no news since the phone call made on 25 March from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held under heavy isolation conditions for more than 22 years in İmralı High Security Type F Closed Prison. A similar situation is in question for Ömer Hayri Konar, Veysi Aktaş and Hamili Yıldırım, who are held in İmralı together with Öcalan. Asrın Law Office and families appealed to non-governmental organizations, bar associations and some associations against the situation in question and asked them to take action. Öcalan's brother, Mehmet Öcalan, has reacted to the ban on visits since July 27, 2011, and in recent years for different disciplinary reasons.

 

NO CONTACT FOR 8 MONTHS

 

Stating that the ban on lawyers and family visits is unacceptable, Öcalan said, "Nobody accepts what's being done. They impose disciplinary punishments arbitrarily every 6 months. These disciplinary punishments are unacceptable. What the state is doing is illegitimate. The state does not even respect its own laws." Pointing out that they have not received any news from his brother Öcalan for more than 8 months, Öcalan said, "We don't know what is going on there. We are very concerned. We can't get any news from them. We don't know if they are alive or not."

 

'CPT IS NOT SOLVING THE PROBLEM'

 

Referring to the call made my the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe which took the violation decision of the European Court of Human Rights' on their agenda, Öcalan said, "This is a positive turn of events.But Turkey has given a year to act on it. We don't know what will happen in the next year. We haven't heard from any of them in the last 8 and a half months. 4 people are being held there. CPT can solve this problem but it chooses not to. Europe also can solve this problem but it doesn't."

 

Pointing to the contacts of the families of the prisoners in Ankara, Öcalan said, "This problem is everyone's problem. We want the door to İmralı to be opened as soon as possible. Öcalan is 72 years old. They left him to die there. The doors should be opened to families immediately." 

 

THE ADDRESS OF THE SOLUTION

 

Öcalan emphasized that the source of the problems experienced, especially the economic crisis in the country, is the isolation in Imrali. Öcalan said, "The gates of İmralı must be opened. If the Kurdish problem is solved as soon as possible, Turkey's other problems will be solved as well. If the Kurdish problem is solved, everyone will be relieved. The biggest problem is that the gate of İmralı Island is closed. If the gate is opened, Öcalan is the most important actor in solving the Kurdish problem."

 

MA / Müjdat Can