There has been no news from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is held in absolute isolation in Imrali Type F High Security Closed Prison, since March 25, 2021. While the absolute isolation continued, it was revealed that new visit bans were given to PKK Leader Öcalan and Ömer Hayri Konar, Veysi Aktaş and Hamili Yıldırım, who are held in Imrali. Asrın Law Office's objection to the bans was rejected. 

 

People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Riha (Urfa-Kurdistan) Deputy and nephew of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, Ömer Öcalan, reacted to the absolute isolation and obstruction of visits.

 

SEVERE ISOLATION CONDITIONS

 

Pointing out that there is a severe isolation in Imrali, Öcalan said: “The isolation is continued with unlawful practices. Both the laws and the constitution have been reduced to a ridiculous situation. The Minister of Justice can say 'there is no isolation'. They see the situation there as normal. There has been no news from Mr. Öcalan and his friends for 38 months. We do not know what his health condition is. If there are no laws in a country, human rights can easily be trampled on. Imrali Island has become the center of lawlessness. The first place to go beyond the law was Imralı Island. From there, unlawfulness spread throughout the country. There is a law but it is not implemented. Mr. Öcalan's rights have been trampled on."

 

‘KOBANÊ CASE CONNECTED WITH ISOLATION' 

 

Reminding that the release of Veysi Aktaş, who İs held in Imralı Prison, was postponed for 1 year, "Veysi Aktaş has completed 30 years and must be released. But his release was postponed for one year. This is an arbitrary practice. This has no place in the law. We were saying that enemy law is being applied in Imralı, but now there is a situation that exceeds enemy law. Against this, there are demonstrations in Europe, Northern and Eastern Syria and dozens of prisons. There is an effort everywhere to end the isolation. We need to carry out the protests collectively in order to get results" Öcalan said.

 

Öcalan pointed out that the sentences given to the politicians imprisoned in the Kobanê Incident are also connected to isolation and said: “They want to condemn the Kobanê victory in Turkey. Everyone needs to react to this."

 

'CURRENT LAWS ARE NOT APPLIED'

 

Pointing to the discussions on the new constitution, Öcalan said, “There is a need for a new, democratic constitution that includes the rights of the people. However, even the laws and the constitution in force are not implemented. When it comes to Kurds, arbitrary practices come into play. According to existing laws, Mr. Öcalan, prisoners and politicians have rights. However, it is not implemented. If it were implemented, many problems would be eliminated. Mr. Öcalan drew attention to this in his last phone conversation. If the AKP regime cannot send Mr. Öcalan's lawyers to İmralı, it cannot make a new constitution either. Even if they do, they won't get any results. "Everything is subject to daily politics," he said. 

 

'KURDISH ISSUE AFFECTS EVERYONE'

 

Emphasizing that all segments of society are negatively affected by the violations, Öcalan said: "No one can say, 'Kurds are being killed in Kurdistan, it does not affect me.' This affects everyone. Arabs and Turks cannot keep themselves free from this issue. Wrong political decisions have a butterfly effect everywhere. Sometimes people ask, ‘How do you connect the war that is being waged with isolation with the economy?’ Budget negotiations are held every year and we see what a huge budget is allocated to the war. Turkish people also have a role and mission here. Everyone needs to say 'No to the war against the Kurds, no to the isolation of Mr. Öcalan'. We call on 85 million people living in Turkey and Kurdistan; Every Turk should see the Kurdish issue as a Turkish issue. This is how issues are solved. If this issue is not solved, everyone will be negatively affected by the consequences."

 

'THE SOLUTION IS MEETING WITH ÖCALAN'

 

"The real solution is to meet with Mr. Abdullah Öcalan," said Öcalan, and continued: "If there is a meeting with Mr. Öcalan, peace will come and everyone will benefit from it. Everyone must do their part as soon as possible. If we do this, the lands we live on, which were turned into hell, will become the paradise of the Middle East. The state must put an end to wrong policies. The way for families and lawyers to go to Imrali must be cleared.”

 

MA / Emrullah Acar