ISTANBUL - There has been no news from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan for a thousand days, with absolute lack of communication continuing on İmralı Island. Emphasizing that absolute isolation has reached a level that cannot be explained by any legal, humane or moral norm, ÖHD Istanbul Branch Co-Chair Esra Bilen said, “The demands of political prisoners must be embraced and the isolation imposed on Mr. Abdullah Öcalan must be broken as soon as possible."

 

The international conspiracy against PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan on October 9, 1998 has passed its 25th anniversary. Abdullah Öcalan, who was kidnapped to Turkey and arrested on February 15, 1999, after the conspiracy started on October 9, has continued to be kept in aggravated isolation on İmralı Island since that date. Despite all the efforts of his lawyers and family, there has been no news from the PKK Leader for 33 months.

 

110 lawyers, 59 family applications remain unanswered!

 

Although lawyers, human rights defenders, politicians and hundreds of people from all walks of life from Kurdistan, Turkey and all over the world have made many initiatives, no positive or negative response is made to these applications and letters. Asrın Law Firm lawyers, who represented Abdullah Öcalan throughout 2023, made a total of 110 lawyers and 59 family applications. However, no response was given to these applications from the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the İmralı Penitentiary Institution Directorate. Meetings continue to be blocked under the excuse of "disciplinary penalties". On December 25, the situation of not receiving any news from Abdullah Öcalan completes its thousandth day.

 

Struggle for physical freedom on all sides

 

On the other hand, people from all walks of life are waging an uninterrupted struggle all over the world to ensure the physical freedom of the PKK Leader and to end the aggravated isolation. In this context, the "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, Solution to the Kurdish Question" initiative was launched on October 10 in 74 centers around the world to ensure Abdullah Öcalan's physical freedom and a political solution to the Kurdish problem. Political prisoners in prisons also announced that they participated in the movement launched on November 27 for the physical freedom of the PKK Leader, with a rotating hunger strike. Immediately afterwards, the relatives of the prisoners started the Justice Watch with the same demands in the cities of Kurdistan and Turkey.

 

ÖHD Istanbul Branch Co-chair Esra Bilen spoke to JINNEWS on the thousandth day of absolute lack of communication.

 

There has been no news from İmralı for a thousand days!

 

Stating that a thousand days have passed since the isolation, Esra said, “The last news from him was on March 25, 2021, through a phone call with his brother that was interrupted. However, there was no news from him afterwards, neither from his lawyer, nor from his family, nor through phone calls. There was no response to the applications made by either their lawyers or us, and no lawyer's opinion could be obtained. We think that the isolation has reached a level that we cannot explain with any legal, humanitarian or moral norms. We think we have already exhausted all legal explanations. We made all the necessary national and international applications. We are in a period where, despite repeated decisions and calls being made by international institutions regarding the unlawfulness of the isolation, this is not taken into consideration by the Republic of Turkey in any way."

 

'There is neither a moral nor a humane attitude in İmralı!'

 

Sharing that thousands of lawyers from Turkey, Kurdistan and Europe have made many applications to break the isolation, Esra emphasized: "We did not receive any response to this either. Our applications are still continuing. A state of torture continues that is contrary to the law and all legal and international agreements. There was an earthquake centered in Mudanya on December 4. Although legally prisoners have the right to inform their families about their health status after natural disasters, this was not implemented. If we leave the law aside, there was a natural disaster there and while Mr. Abdullah Öcalan's health condition was a matter of concern to the whole society, this right was not granted to him in any way. This attitude is neither moral nor humane.”

 

Their work will continue until the Imrali isolation is broken

 

Informing that their association's efforts against the Imrali isolation will continue, Esra stated that they will continue similar efforts in the following months with the panel titled "Isolation as a Crime against Humanity and a Form of Torture" held in Istanbul on December 16. Esra said, “We, as ÖHD, are aware that this request cannot be resolved only through legal means. However, we will continue to make applications through legal means. At the same time, we started to organize panels on isolation in Turkey and Kurdistan again to bring it to the public agenda. "We continue to do this work to discuss this with different people and segments of society and to call on everyone who calls themselves socialist, democrat, libertarian and defines themselves with these terms to embrace this demand and raise their voice against it."