NEWS CENTER - Responding to the parliamentary question regarding the aggravated isolation against PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, the German government said, "We do not have information about Abdullah Öcalan's health condition, the responsibility rests with the CPT."
Following the aggravated isolation on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is being held in İmralı Type F Closed Prison, and the fact that he has not been heard from since March 2021, the Left Party brought the issue to the agenda of the Federal German Assembly. According to Fırat News Agency's (ANF), Left Party Deputy Gökay Akbulut asked the federal government, led by Olaf Scholz, whether they were informed about Abdullah Öcalan's health status, and the calls of the European lawyers for European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to visit İmralı.
'WE HAVE NO INFORMATION'
Answering the parliamentary question on behalf of the Federal Government, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andreas Michaelis said, "Our government has no information on the health status of the imprisoned PKK founder, Abdullah Öcalan." In addition, in the response, it was stated that the CPT, which also has a representative from Germany, is the addressee of the issue.
REACTION FROM AKBULUT
Left Party Deputy Akbulut, who made a statement regarding the response, criticized the Scholz government's attitude towards İmralı. Akbulut stated that after the government change in Germany, the dissidents in Turkey expected more support, but they were disappointed.
Stating that he will apply to Germany's representative at the CPT, Dr. Gunda Wössner, Akbulut noted, "The isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners is unacceptable." Akbulut pointed out that the CPT should examine whether the improvements requested from Turkey regarding İmralı have been fulfilled.
Reminding that the CPT's demands for Imrali were supported by the previous Federal Government in 2019, Akbulut said, "However, the current government ignores the situation of the detainees in Imrali."