
Families of İmralı prisoners apply to be granted visit to Imrali

2021-04-09 15:12:54


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	İSTANBUL- Families of Abdullah Öcalan and three other political prisoners in Imralı island prison applied once again to be granted a visit.

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	Rezan Sarıca, Faik Özgür Erol, Cengiz Yürekli and Serbay Köklü, attorneys of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan being held in İmralı Type F High Security Closed Prison applied to Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to see their client in İmralı.

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	Hamili Yildirim’s brother Polat Yildirim, Ömer Hayri Konar’s brother Ali Konar and Veysi Aktaş’s sister Melihe Çetin have also issued an appeal through their lawyers to visit their relatives on the island prison.

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	After 21 years, Öcalan was first granted a phone conversation with his family on 27 April. He talked to his brother Mehmet Öcalan. This was also the first time the other prisoners spoke to their relatives on the phone, since being transferred to Imralı in 2015.

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	Ömer Hayri Konar and Veysi Aktaş have been able to meet their relatives on 5 June, 12 August 2019 and 3 March 2020. Hamili Yıldırım could meet his relatives on 5 June and 12 August 2019.

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	NO ANSWER TO APPLICATIONS

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	The Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office imposed a 6-month lawyer visitation ban on September 23, 2020 on grounds of the "Road Map" prepared in addition to Öcalan's defense sent to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2009. Although the ban on visits ended on March 23, neither a positive nor a negative response was given to the applications made by the lawyers.

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	Rezan Sarıca and Nevroz Uysal, two of Öcalan's lawyers, were able to meet with their clients after 8 years on May 2-22, June 12-18 and August 7, 2019.&nbsp;

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	PHONE CALL WAS INTERRUPTED

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	Öcalan, who has been held under severe isolation conditions in İmralı High Security F-Type Closed Prison for 22 years, made a phone call yesterday with his brother Mehmet Öcalan after the last phone call on April 27, 2020. However, Mehmet Öcalan had announced that the phonecall was interrupted.&nbsp;