The absolute isolation of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, held in İmralı High Security Prison, continues. Finally, the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) announced that Imrali Type F High Security Prison took part in its visit to Turkey on September 20-29. Asrın Law Office, which is the defense attorney for Öcalan, made a statement on November 29, "We have heard that Mr. Öcalan did not attend the meeting during the CPT's visit to İmralı Island in September 2022." Lawyer Cemal Demir spoke about the fact that PKK Leader Öcalan did not have a meeting with the CPT, which visited Imrali, on the phone call he made on April 25.

 

'CPT'S ATTITUDE IS UNACCEPTABLE'

 

Regarding the CPT's visit to İmralı, Demir said: "Öcalan was not an ordinary person, that he had not been heard from for 20 months, and that the CPT should share information about the visit, albeit briefly. Not sharing information is against the CPT's institution and the law. The CPT's aim is to prevent torture. This is the foundation and reason for existence. Therefore, the CPT's making a statement could have been an effort to put an end to the unlawful attitude of Turkey, which is a contracting party, in Imrali as soon as possible. But by not doing this, the CPT actually displayed an attitude contrary to its founding rationale, questioning its legitimacy.”

 

'ÖCALAN DİD NOT ATTEND  MEETING IS A MESSAGE OUTSIDE'

 

Evaluating Öcalan's refusal to meet with the CPT delegation, Demir said: “Asrın Law Office stated that İmralı is a private prison and Mr. Öcalan is in absolute isolation. Especially in recent times, the isolation situation has become more aggravated. If Mr. Öcalan did not attend the meeting, He gave the message of "Don't be a part of this isolation, it is an unacceptable situation". This situation; Although there has been no legal basis for 20 months, it is a protest against the fact that the negotiations have not been held in any way. It is impossible for an institution like the CPT not to know about Mr. Öcalan's conditions. It has been carried to all international platforms and the conditions are known to everyone. Therefore, the fact that Mr. Öcalan did not attend the meeting as a criticism of the CPT's attitude and a message to the outside. These messages should be read correctly."

 

'ISOLATION MUST BE ENDED'

 

Pointing out that ways and methods must be determined in order to end the isolation, Demir said: “People have protested in many different ways against the isolation imposed on Mr. Öcalan. The stage reached is a critical stage. There are situations where Mr. Öcalan may have statements regarding the Middle East, Rojava, Southern Kurdistan and Bakur and that these statements may be pioneering. It is vitally important in this process that Mr. Öcalan's ideas come out. Society should use its right to protest and action more to break this absolute isolation. We have seen through experience how realistic Mr. Öcalan's readings of the Middle East are. Therefore, the society wants to see the effects of their ideas about the region. For this reason, ending isolation is very important and should be attributed to society.”

 

MA / Cengiz Özbasar