İSTANBUL - The lawyers of the Secret Law Office applied to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the İmralı Prison Directorate to meet with their client, PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has not been heard from for 21 months.

 

Lawyers of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is held under severe isolation conditions in İmralı Type F High Security Closed Prison, applied to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the Directorate of İmralı Penitentiary Institution to meet with their client. The application was made by Rezan Sarıca, Raziye Öztürk, Faik Özgür Erol and Emran Emekçi.

 

The lawyers applied for an "urgent meeting" with the Bursa Penal Execution Judge on November 22, as no positive or negative response was given to their applications to meet with their client Öcalan. Rejecting the application, the judge said that there were two new disciplinary punishments on Öcalan and a visitation ban. Öcalan's attorneys recently learned that Öcalan was banned from lawyer meetings for 6 months and family visits for 3 months.

 

NO NEWS FROM ÖCALAN FOR 21 MONTHS

 

Rezan Sarıca and Nevroz Uysal, two of Öcalan's lawyers, were able to meet with their clients after 8 years on May 2-22, June 12-18 and August 7, 2019. Öcalan, who has been held under severe isolation conditions in İmralı High Security F-Type Closed Prison for 22 years, made a phone call yesterday with his brother Mehmet Öcalan after the last phone call on April 27, 2020. However, Mehmet Öcalan had announced that the phone call was interrupted.

 

BANS BROUGHT BEFORE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

 

The lawyers brought the ban on family visits to the Constitutional Court (AYM) with "unlawful" disciplinary penalties on May 12, following the refusal of the judge. In their application to the Constitutional Court, the lawyers drew attention to "incommunicado" situation, which is the absolute state of lack of communication, and demanded that not being informed is torture to the family, that it violates right to respect for family and private life, the right to defense and fair trial, and the right to an effective remedy.

 

LAST VISIT WAS 21 MONTHS AGO

 

Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held under severe isolation conditions in Imralı Prison for 23 years, was given the right to speak on the phone for the first time on April 27, 2020. Öcalan had a telephone conversation with his brother Mehmet Öcalan on March 25, 2021, as public concerns grew after some allegations about his life in social media. However, Mehmet Öcalan announced that this meeting was interrupted.

 

LAWYERS HAVE NOT BEEN IN CONTACT FOR 3 YEARS

 

Abdullah Öcalan's lawyers Rezan Sarıca and Newroz Uysal last met their clients on May 2-22, June 12-18 and August 7, 2019, after 8 years. Lawyers have not been allowed to meet with their clients since then.

 

AMBIGUITY IN CPT VISIT

 

While the situation of not hearing from Abdullah Öcalan continued, the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) announced on October 3 regarding the September 20-29 visit to Turkey, that Imrali Type F High Security Prison was among the institutions it visited. Regarding the visit, Therese Rytter, Head of the CPT's İmralı Delegation and 2nd Vice-President of the CPT on October 4, said: "I can say that we visited all the prisoners in Turkey, but I cannot explain our findings. These will be announced when the report is made public.” 

 

LAWYERS: ÖCALAN REFUSED TO MEET WITH THE CPT

 

However, Asrın Law Office, which is the defense attorney for Öcalan, made a statement on November 29, "We have heard that Mr. Öcalan refused to attend the meeting during the CPT's visit to İmralı Island in September 2022."