ISTANBUL - As the absolute isolation in Imrali enters its 40th month, 561 demands for meeting during this period have remained inconclusive.

 

The situation of not hearing from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is held in Imrali Type F High Security Closed Prison, has entered its 40th month. Abdullah Öcalan last met with his lawyers on August 7, 2019. The last date that Abdullah Öcalan met with his family face to face was March 3, 2020, and the last phone call was March 25, 2021. There has been no news from Abdullah Öcalan since the phone call he had with his brother Mehmet Öcalan, which was interrupted.

 

561 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED INCONCLUSION

 

Applications made against this situation, which is described as "incommunicado" in the international law literature, are either left unanswered or rejected for various reasons. Asrın Law Firm lawyers and families submit new applications to both Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and Imrali Prison Directorate every week, demanding a meeting. Since March 25, 2021, a total of 561 applications have been made to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and Imrali Prison, 388 of which are lawyers and 173 are families. The applications were either left unanswered or rejected with "disciplinary penalties" without stated reasons.

 

APPLICATIONS AND ACTIONS

 

Legal organizations, including the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), applied to bar associations in the cities of Amed (Diyarbakır-Kurdistan), Mersin, Riha (Urfa-Kurdistan), Wan and Ankara in June. Legal organizations asked bar associations to take action against the Imrali isolation.

 

Protests and actions against the absolute isolation in Imrali continue in many parts of the world, especially in Kurdistan and Turkey. Various actions and events are organized within the scope of the global campaign launched on October 10, 2023 with the slogan "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, solution to the Kurdish issue".

 

Political prisoners started a rotating hunger strike on November 27, 2023. Prisoners took their protests to a new stage as of April 4. Prisoners boycott the courts and do not attend phone calls or family meetings. Relatives of prisoners also come together in front of prisons and AKP buildings in many cities every week.

 

11 THOUSAND LETTERS FROM WOMEN TO CPT

 

The European Kurdish Women's Movement (TJK-E) launched a letter-sending campaign to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) on April 19, within the scope of its event called "Thousand women, one voice". Women in different countries have sent 11 thousand letters to the CPT so far. On June 3, 95 well-known names in Germany and on June 7, 61 names in France sent letters to the CPT. In the applications, it was demanded that the CPT delegation go to Imrali Island and conduct inspections.

 

DIALOGUE DAYS WITH ÖCALAN

 

Between 15 and 22 June, events were held under the name of "Dialogue days with Abdullah Öcalan". Abdullah Öcalan's ideas were discussed at the events.