VAN – Administrators of the Wan (Van) Association for Solidarity with Families of Prisoners and Convicts (TUHAY-DER) said that the first concrete step toward ensuring a fair and democratic process must be the implementation of the “right to hope” for Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

 

Political parties and civil society organizations have repeatedly underlined the need for concrete steps toward a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue, calling on the Turkish state to comply with the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers’ decision recognizing the “right to hope” and to enact new regulations for the release of political prisoners. Families of detainees have also organized numerous protests demanding both the implementation of this right and the release of political prisoners. 

 

According to TUHAY-DER’s latest data, there are 424 political prisoners and their families across four provinces: 192 in Van, 41 in Iğdır, 181 in Colemêrg (Hakkari), and 60 in Muş. The association stated that since the start of recent discussions, many families have reached out to them, all emphasizing one demand, the implementation of the “right to hope”.

 

‘WE HAVE FULL TRUST IN MR OCALAN’

 

 

TUHAY-DER Co-Chair and relative of a prisoner Rengin Karaduman said: “As families of prisoners, we remain hopeful about this process because our trust in Mr. Abdullah Öcalan is complete. However, the state has yet to take any concrete steps.”

 

Rengin Karaduman criticized ongoing punitive practices: “Even ill prisoners who have medical reports stating they cannot remain in prison are still held. One of our main priorities is their release. Many are transferred to distant prisons, and some families cannot even visit their loved ones once a year. When they do, they are subjected to humiliating procedures such as strip searches before a 40-minute visit. Sometimes visits are denied because an elderly father cannot read an ID card or a mother wears traditional clothing. In western cities, we even face racist treatment — there are times we cannot speak Kurdish, and we are targeted because of our Kurdish names. This is a form of punishment against the families themselves.”

 

Referring to the Prison Administration and Observation Boards (İGK) that have arbitrarily blocked prisoners’ release since 2021, she said: “Just recently, a woman prisoner’s release was prevented again by an İGK decision. Meanwhile, many others are still being arrested and sentenced for their social media posts. These arbitrary and political practices must end.”

 

‘THERE IS A LEGAL PROBLEM SOOTED IN THE KURDISH ISSUE’

 

 

TUHAY-DER executive Nedim Şipal stated that the double standards in the judicial system reflect a deeper issue: “There is a legal problem connected to the Kurdish question, and it affects every aspect of society, including prisons. Prisoners are systematically denied their rights — from health to education, communication, and cultural expression. The imposition of repentance continues, and the denial of identity remains institutionalized. Families contact us daily, asking when real steps will be taken.”

 

‘RIGHT TO HOPE IS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGE’

 

Şipal emphasized that resolving these issues is inseparable from the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, stating: “The families demand an end to violations and the release of all political prisoners, beginning with Mr. Abdullah Öcalan. We call for legal reforms aligned with the democratic spirit of the early 1921 Constitution, not the exclusionary system of 1924. The commission established in parliament must meet with Mr. Öcalan immediately. As he himself has said, the ‘right to hope’ is not merely an individual right — it is a social and political necessity. This right must be applied to Mr. Öcalan and to all political prisoners without delay.”

 

MA / Ceylan Sahinli