ANKARA - Lawyer Miriam Fieding, regarding the CPT's report on Imrali, which has not been disclosed yet, said that the CPT's task was “If Turkey does not agree with the publication of the report, the CPT still has to publish a report or the detention conditions in Imrali. and I think he has an ethical and political duty to ensure that more research is done on detention conditions in Turkey as a whole.”

 

There is no news from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş, who have been held under aggravated isolation conditions in İmralı F Type High Security Prison and have not been heard from for more than 27 months. While countless family and lawyer applications are made, international calls and applications are made. The applications and calls for the end of the absolute isolation on Abdullah Öcalan and his physical freedom are ignored by the Ministry of Justice.

 

While the isolation is maintained by Turkey, discussions, conferences and panels continue to be discussed in order to break this isolation in the international arena, to solve the politicized judiciary and the Kurdish problem. Attorney Miriam Fieding, Member of the 2023 Prison Delegation, evaluated the deepening absolute isolation, the approach of international institutions and the steps that Turkey should take for a solution to JINNEWS.

 

'War on the population'

 

 Stating that the judicial system has been damaged by the "measures" taken by the government in the last 10 years, Miriam said that they were deprived of their democratic rights by waging war on the opposition people. Miriam said, "In the last ten years, especially since the alleged coup attempt in 2016, the rule of law in Turkey has been massively damaged by a wide variety of measures taken by the Turkish government. There have been massive waves of arrests against the opposition. The rights of prisoners have been restricted in a completely new way and the Kurds have been deprived of their democratic rights by imprisoning elected deputies and replacing them with government-appointed deputies and waging war against the population.”

 

Immigration deals underlie silence against lawlessness

 

 At the same time, Miriam attended the conference "Rights and Freedoms in Turkey: Law, Prisons and the Kurdish Question" at the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg, France on June 13. Miriam, “The conference dealt with the issue of the situation of the Kurds in Turkey, the repression against the population, the situation in the prisons, the role of the CPT, the solitary confinement of Mr. Öcalan and the isolation of the Kurdish population within society and the need for action by the European institutions and bodies. Against the background of the ECHR, the propagated objectives and democratic values of the EU and the Council of Europe, the inaction and silence is absolutely incomprehensible. Unfortunately, I cannot explain it in any other way than that these values are disregarded in favor of deals, probaby in the field of migration issues.” said.

 

'That war is being waged against anyone who does not join the Erdogan regime'

 

Emphasizing that the European Union and international institutions should increase the pressure against Turkey's oppression and judicial violence against the dissidents, Miriam said that these practices are cruelty. Miriam continued: I do not see myself in a position to answer this question comprehensively. However, with regard to human rights and democratic values, I see it as central that the EU and the international community increase the pressure on Turkey to restrict measures that endanger the rule of law. These measures endangering the rule of law are the banning of the opposition and dissidents, the persecution of journalists, lawyers, members of parliament, professors. The disregard of human rights in detention situations. The disregard of laws in the persecution of Kurds. It would be important to recognize that Turkey is waging a war against its own population, especially against the Kurds, but not only, ultimately against all those who do not agree with the Erdogan regime and express this. The correct consequence can therefore only be that the PKK is no longer listed as a terrorist organization.”

 

'Mr. Öcalan's isolation is a terrible tool that has also created other prisoners'

 

“For me as a lawyer, it was very frightening to learn to what extent the rule of law has already ceased to exist. During trial observations I had to experience that trials are conducted against lawyers, inconvenient judges and prosecutors are exchanged until the result fits. Requests for evidence are consistently denied. Lawyers are regularly equated with their clients because of their work in criminal law. Basic rights of prisoners are disregarded. Prisoners die on hunger strike. They are denied access to lawyers and their relatives, contrary to national and international regulations. The conditions of detention themselves are also regularly unlawful. Solitary confinement, in particular, is a terrifying tool that appears to have been established for other prisoners with Mr. Öcalan's solitary confinement.”

 

CPT visit

 

Emphasizing that it would be important to announce the visit reports of the CPT, Miriam continued her words as follows: A delegation of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out an ad hoc visit to Imrali prison in September 2022. Since there has been no contact at all with the prisoners on Imrali for more than two years, and we therefore do not even know for sure whether they are still alive, the CPT's report is of particular relevance. The CPT revealed that it had sent its report about Imrali to Turkey and the decision to publish it depends on the Turkish authorities. The regulations stipulate that the respective country must first agree to the publication.

 

‘CPT still has ethical and political duty to publish a report’

 

Miriam also stated the following regarding the responsibility of the CPT if Turkey did not want the CPT to release its report: It is not regulated what happens if a country does not agree at all. If Turkey does not agree, I think the CPT still has ethical and political duty to publish a report or ensure that further investigations are carried out into the conditions of detention at Imrali and into the conditions of detention in Turkey as a whole and, if necessary, make demands on Turkey to improve the conditions of detention. The CPT is a very important institution. However, it seems absurd that in the case of negative reporting, the respective country can prevent any publication without consequences.”