ISTANBUL - The situation of not hearing from PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is prevented from meeting with his family and lawyers, has entered its 35th month.

 

The state of not hearing from Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Ömer Hayri Konar, who are held in the same prison with PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been held under absolute isolation conditions in Imralı Type F High Security Prison for 25 years, has entered its 35th month. Family and lawyer visits for Abdullah Ocalan and other prisoners are prevented by systematic punishments given under the name of "discipline".

 

LAST FAMILY AND LAWYER MEETINGS

 

Abdullah Ocalan, who is not allowed to meet with his lawyers after July 27, 2011, was able to hold 5 meetings in 2019 as a result of the hunger strike actions that started on November 8, 2018, led by Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chair Leyla Güven and spread to all prisons and lasted for 200 days. All applications made by Abdullah Ocalan's lawyers after the last meeting held on August 7, 2019 were rejected.

 

Abdullah Ocalan, who last had a face-to-face meeting with his family on March 3, 2020, has not been heard from since his last intermittent phone call with his brother Mehmet Ocalan on March 25, 2021.

 

501 APPLICATIONS REMAINED INFLUENCED

 

While the state of absolute isolation, referred to as "incommunicado" in the international law literature, continues in Imralı, the initiatives of lawyers and families continue. Asrın Law Firm lawyers and families submit new applications to both Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and Imralı Prison Directorate every week, demanding a meeting. Since the last contact with Abdullah Ocalan on March 25, 2021, a total of 501 applications, including 348 lawyers and 153 families, have been made to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and Imralı Prison. However, all these applications were either left unanswered or rejected with "disciplinary penalties" without a stated reason.

 

FREEDOM CAMPAIGN AGAINST ISOLATION

 

While the state of absolute lack of communication continues in Imralı the actions and activities initiated by the Kurds and their supporters in Turkey, Kurdistan and the world to demand the physical freedom of Abdullah Ocalan continue. In this context, the "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, solution to the Kurdish issue" campaign, which was launched on October 10, 2023 in 74 centers around the world, continues to grow. As part of the campaign, which is about to enter its fourth month, thousands of political prisoners started hunger strikes in 106 prisons on November 27, 2023. Families of the prisoners also started Justice Watch actions in many cities with the same demand.

 

JOINT DECLARATION FROM 571 NAMES

 

571 names from the world of literature and art, including writers, directors, musicians, art critics, actors, painters, dengbêj and academics, announced a declaration titled "Let's Be a Voice for Peace" in Amed and Istanbul on January 7. In the declaration, which was called by people such as Jülide Kural, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Cevdet Bağca, Nur Sürer, Mikail Aslan, a call was made for the solution of the Kurdish issue, the end of the isolation of PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan and social peace.

 

APPLICATION TO CPT DEMANDING AN URGENT VISIT

 

Lawyers Association for Freedom (ÖHD), Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD), Society and Legal Research Foundation (TOHAV), Civil Society Association in the Penal System (CİSST), Elih, Amed, Colemerg, Mêrdîn, Mûş, Şirnex, Riha, Wan bar associations, Human Rights Association (İHD) and Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) applied to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to hold an "urgent" visit on January 12 for Abdullah Ocalan, Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Ömer Hayri Konar, who were not allowed to meet with their family and lawyers.

 

IMRALI OBSERVATION AND DETECTION REPORT

 

Asrın Law Firm announced the '2023 Observation and Detection Report' prepared for Imralı Type F High Security Closed Prison on January 17. In the 2023 Imralı report of Asrın Law Firm, it was noted that a total of 169 demands for visit were left unanswered in one year. The report stated that "2023 has been the year of absolute lack of communication" and emphasized that "it is a historical need for 2024 to be the year of freedom for Abdullah Ocalan and the year of solution to the Kurdish issue."

 

APPLICATION FROM 330 LAWYERS TO THE MINISTRY

 

Against the aggravated isolation in Imralı, 1,330 lawyers from 35 bar associations applied to the Ministry of Justice to meet with Abdullah Ocalan. The lawyers, who made a statement in front of the Diyarbakır Courthouse regarding the application, pointed out that Abdullah Ocalan and other prisoners were unlawfully prevented from meeting with their lawyers, and called for an end to the unlawfulness.