The absence of news from PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is held under absolute isolation conditions in Imralı High Security Type F Closed Prison, has entered its 36th month. Abdullah Ocalan, who was not allowed to meet with his lawyers after July 27, 2011, was able to have 5 meetings with his lawyers in 2019 as a result of the hunger strikes that started on November 8, 2018 under the leadership of 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.

 

514 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED INCONCLUSION

 

While the state of absolute isolation, referred to as "incommunicado" in the international law literature, continues in Imralı. On the other hand 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, requesting a meeting. Since the last contact with Abdullah Ocalan on March 25, 2021, a total of 514 applications, including 356 lawyers and 158 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 penalties given under the name of "discipline" with no stated reason.

 

CPT DID NOT VISIT IMRALI

 

Asrın Law Firm applied to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) on February 15 for Abdullah Ocalan, Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Omer Hayri Konar, who were not allowed to meet with their family and lawyers. In the application, which included information and demands regarding the conditions of imprisonment that systematically violated the prohibition of torture in an "incommunicado" state, the earthquake, hunger strikes and other developments, the CPT was demanded to disclose its reports on its last visits and to carry out a new visit to Imralı. While waiting for a response to the application, CPT announced that it visited Turkey between 13-22 February, but did not visit Imralı Island, where PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan is located. 

 

MA / Ibrahim Irmak