ADANA - İmrali Prison, where PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held in aggravated isolation for 24 years, is unique in the world due to its "secret protocol" administration and the ban on visits and communication.

 

PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held under aggravated isolation conditions for 24 years in İmralı Type F High Security Closed Prison, which is unique in the world. Under the leadership of NATO, the first step of the international conspiracy was taken for the removal of Abdullah Öcalan from Syria in 1998. As a result of the pressures on the Syrian regime, Öcalan left Syria on October 9, 1998. After many countries, especially Greece, Russia and Italy, closed their doors, Öcalan was forcibly abducted from the Greek embassy in Kenya on February 15, 1999 and handed over to Turkey. After Öcalan was brought to Turkey, İmralı Prison, where prisoners were held as a semi-open prison until then, came to the fore. The name of the prison where Öcalan was put was changed to İmralı Type F High Security Prison.

 

IMRALI ISLAND IN HISTORY

 

Imralı Island, which is connected to the Mudanya district of Bursa in the Sea of Marmara, lies 1.28 miles off Bozburun, 22 miles from Mudanya, in the shape of a hammer in the north-south direction. While the northern part descends to the sea with steep cliffs, the southern part is less rugged. Imrali Island, which is covered with forest, was called "Besbicus" by geographers and historians after its discovery in history. While the provincial settlement of the island took place in the 7th century under the leadership of the historian Theophanes, the name of the island began to appear in the texts as "Kalolimnos" (Limanköy) after this date. While it is also referred to as "Galios/Galyos" in some sources of the period, works such as monasteries and churches were built in Imrali during the Roman and Byzantine periods. The island, which came under the protection of the Ottomans after 1308, was completely evacuated with the First World War, and the Greeks who were removed from the island during the war were sent to Greece in 1923 by being exchanged with the Cretan Turks. On the island, which was empty until 1934, a semi-open prison was established in 1935. The first prisoners of Imrali Prison, which became operational on August 11, 1935, after the walls of a ruined church were completed and turned into a ward, became 50 prisoners convicted of judicial crimes in Istanbul and Bursa prisons.

 

THE NAME OF THE ISLAND IS ON THE AGENDA FOR 24 YEARS

 

The name of Imrali Island became a hot topic after Öcalan was brought to Turkey and it has been on the agenda for 24 years since 1999. Before Öcalan was brought to Turkey, all prisoners and personnel on Imrali Island were evacuated. Imrali Island, where Öcalan was taken, who was handed over to Turkey on February 15, 1999, was declared a special security zone. The passage of civilian helicopters over the island is also prohibited when civilian ships approach the island more than 3 miles to İmralı Island, which has a specially selected prison director, deputy directors, guards and nearly a thousand private military units.

 

INTERNATIONAL FORCES AGREE TO EACH OTHER ON IMRALI

 

In Imrali Prison, which is supposed to be officially affiliated to the Ministry of Justice, Turkey's laws and international law have not been functioning for 24 years, as the management style and scope have been determined by a "secret protocol". While it was stated that the prison was affiliated to the Prime Ministry in the old system and to the Presidency in the new system, international forces such as the USA, which played a role in the abduction of Öcalan and the formation of the prison system, have so far agreed with Turkey that the laws should not be enforced on Imrali Island.

 

THERE IS NO OTHER EXAMPLE IN THE WORLD

 

While Imrali Prison is being renovated based on the US system of Guantanamo, the conditions in Imrali Prison are more severe, although it is compared to Guantanamo. While communication facilities such as family, lawyer and visitor reception, telephone, letter, fax and telegram are not prohibited in Guantanamo, none of these rights are recognized in the Imrali Prison system. Although there are similarities in some aspects, Imrali Prison has no other example in the world.

 

'IMRALI PRISON IS ORDERED BY THE USA'

 

In some previous meetings, PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan made many evaluations about the İmralı Prison. Stating that Imrali was governed by a “three-legged” system, with one foot in the USA, one foot in Europe and one foot in Turkey and Öcalan spoke his observations on İmralı are as follows: “Imralı Prison is very different from the prison system in Turkey. The system of other prisons does not apply in Imrali. The system and structure of this place have been established by secret agreement. The USA has established many such prisons in many places with similar secret agreements. Imrali Prison is one of the private prisons established by the USA with a secret agreement. While Turkey ordered the system of Imrali, the idea and approval of the EU were also taken and they determined what the structure and conditions should be. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) should not be approached as ordinary, it should not be seen as a delegation that comes and goes from time to time, they are aware of what is going on here. It is a subordinate body of the European Committee, so the Council of Europe as a whole also has knowledge. They say that this place is managed by the crisis center affiliated to the Prime Ministry, but it is not, this place is directly connected to the USA. From the beginning, I couldn't understand why even the prison regulations were not implemented. But it turned out that Imrali Prison is the first Guantanamo style prison. Here are lessons learned from the applications made to me. They measure how long a person can withstand being suppressed.”

 

'NO ONE CAN RESIST IN IMRALI FOR EVEN 6 DAYS'

 

Speaking about the İmralı System, which has no example in the world, Öcalan said:  “No one can resist in Imrali for even 6 days. We are held here. I am the prisoner who has the aggregated situation of prison in the world, including the West. The capitalist world system has held me, and the state is holding me as a trump card, a hostage. I'm a political hostage here. This is how my position should be known. I can explain this with an analogy: I'm like someone on a ventilator, they can unplug whenever they want. The aggravation of the isolation situation already means execution. There is no one else in the world under these conditions, I get through every aggravated situation in here but I just did not die. It is like I am held in a 'coffin'. The prison system is the death penalty, only the method is different."

 

ISLAND PRISONS…

 

In Europe, island prisons were mostly used by the British and Russians in the past. Due to the difficulty of escaping from the islands, some islands were used as prisons during and after the First World War. At the beginning of the island prisons in history are Nargin in the Caspian Sea, which was used in various periods, Asinara near Sardinia Island, Malta in the Mediterranean, Sakhalin in the Sea of Okhotsk, Solevest in the Arctic Ocean and Malaya Island near China.

 

ROBBEN ISLAND

 

Another island in the world where political prisoners are held was Robben Island in South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the Leader of the African National Council (ANC), also spent 18 years (1964-1982) in the prison established on Robben Island with other political prisoners. While Mandela and his friends were working in the quarries on Robben Island, they took partial advantage of the rights of the prisoners. Robben Island was recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1999 and turned into a museum.

 

GUANTANAMO CAMP

 

Guantanamo Camp takes its name from a part of the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba that has been used as a military prison since 2002. In Guantanamo, where people suspected of having connections with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, which were seized in various countries, especially Afghanistan, are held, there have been many protests by human rights organizations as torture and ill-treatment are frequently on the agenda. While prisoners at Guantanamo were not identified as either war criminals or common criminals, these prisoners were not able to appeal to the US legal system, nor were they entitled to any revisions from the US legal system. In the reports prepared by the European Parliament, Amnesty International and the UN on the illegal practices in Guantanamo, the situation was described as a "human rights scandal". According to the data of the US Department of Defense, 797 suspects who were caught and brought to Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries in the region have been held in Guantanamo so far. In order to close Guantanamo, where 35 suspects are currently being held, more than 150 international non-governmental organizations sent a letter to US President Joe Biden, demanding the closure of Guantanamo prison.

 

NARGIN PRISON

 

Nargin Island, located in the Caspian Sea, was used by the Russians as an island prison for serious criminals. During the First World War, the island was turned into a prison camp by order of Prince Oldenburg in 1915. The island, which has an area of 900 decares, but has no water source and vegetation, was also known as the Snake or Hell Island in history due to its famous snakes.

 

ASINARA ISLAND

 

Italy has benefited from Asinara Island, which has an area of 33 square kilometers, as a place of exile and quarantine throughout history. It was stated that many prisoners who remained on the island of Asinara, which did not have a water source, died from neglect.

 

SOLEVEST ISLANDS

 

Solevest Islands, located in the Arctic Ocean, were used as a prison by the Russians in the 1930s. Regime opponents were detained here.

 

Russia used Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk as a prison and also Malaya Island was used as a prison by the British.

 

ALCATRAZ ISLAND

 

Alcatraz prison, which is a rocky island in the San Francisco Bay in the US state of California, has been used as a military prison since 1868. The island, which is one of the most famous prisons in the USA, was opened as a prison by the Ministry of Justice in 1934. In June 1934, 196 prisoners and convicts selected from various prisons were transferred to the island prison. Many selected criminal convicts were held here until 1963.

 

MA / Hamdullah Yağız Kesen

 

Tomorrow: They are the fire against the conspiracy!