Stating that their worries regarding their client Abdullah Öcalan, who has been imprisoned in İmralı Type-F Closed Prison since 1999 in heavy isolation, has increased during COVID-19 pandemic. Lawyers Serbay Köklü and Cengiz Yürekli evaluated the phone call of Öcalan after 21 years.

 

'HE WAS NEVER ABLE TO USE HIS LEGAL RIGHTS'

 

Lawyer Serbay Köklü shared the information that the prisoners in all the prisons of Turkey are able to use their "phone right" once a week and the convicted prisoners, who has been sentenced to aggravated life sentence are able to use their phone right once in every 15 days. Köklü noted that Öcalan was never able to use his phone right for 21 years and their other clients who are also imprisoned in İmralı have never been able to call anyone for the 5 years they have been imprisoned.

 

Stating that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the public opinion and especially the Kurdish people have serious concerns regarding the prisons, Köklü said that they have been applying to the authorities and related institutions regarding the health condition of their imprisoned clients, but either their applications are rejected or have been left unanswered with no further explanation at all.

 

'THE UNJUSTICE IS BROUGHT INTO THE DAY LIGHT'

 

Rearding the phone call with his family that Öcalan was able to conduct, Laywer Köklü told: "It is important in terms of revealing the position of legal mechanisms in İmralı Prison. We are making all criminal complaints, objections, etc. related to this unjust and arbitrary proceedings. As defined in the law, the phone call takes place in the family's house by phone registered in the name of the family. This time, the right to use the phone call was executed in such a way that the families had to be present at the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which is again against the law. The fact that such a condition has been imposed is not independent of the absolute isolation system that is implemented in Imrali. It is related to their will to keep everything under supervision and surveillance."

 

'IT IS IMPORTANT THAT A MESSAGE IS RECEIVED FROM ÖCALAN'

 

Köklü also stated that even under restricted circumstances and short duration it is important that a message is received from Öcalan.

 

Another lawyer of Öcalan, Cengiz Yürekli told: "Mr. Öcalan is imposed to heavy isolation ecause he built a democratic nation culture where the peoples would live together equally and freely. On the other hand, with the worries regarding his health condition, he was able to use his phone call right and this is a way to balance and limit the protests of the people. The 21-year old policy is based solely on this. Öcalan continues to develop the conditions of a equal and free life together with the culture he created, his evaluations and suggestions."

 

'CRISIS MAY BE A CHANCE TO DISCUSS THE SOLLUTION OPTION'

 

Lawyer Yürekli also commented on the fact that Öcalan made a "call for unity" to PKK, KDP and YNK as he told: "Mr. Öcalan underlined some matters that he finds significant in this process. The first of the these is his suggestion that Kurds shall choose dialogue and diplomatic relations to solve their problems rather than conflicts, which harm their national unity. And the other consists of his suggestions for HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) that he calls a democratic alliance party as he suggested the party to enlarge the democratic sollution possibilities. As we could obtain from his speech on the phone call Mr. Öcalan thinks that the powers, which desires to deepen the conditions of war may understand HDP as a threat and against this HDP should achieve growth and expand in their organization."

 

'SOLLUTION ATTEMPTS SHOULD BE FOCUSED MORE'

 

Yürekli also spoke on the exceptional and extraordinary laws applied on İmralı: "None of the basic rights which are applied in all other prisons are applied in İmralı. Communication is banned even in extraordinary periods. In this regard, all legal institutions are wanted to be silenced. In Imrali, the intensification and evaluations on free and democratic life are also achieved by Mr. Öcalan. And in any possible communication chance, clear, concrete and understandable suggestions are developed  so that anybody can understand these. Imrali prison shows the repressive legal and political system in Turkey, İmralı demonstrates the undemocratic nature of Turkish law and politics system."

 

Emphasizing on that İmralı is an area where the sollution possibilities for the free life with peace and democracy  grows Yürekli ends his statements as follows: "That is why we think that both the injustice and sollution attempts in İmralı should be focused."

 

MA / Erdoğan Alayumat