War can be stopped and peace can come if the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan is lifted, says HDP MP Habip Eksik who advocates that the demands of the hunger-striking prisoners against isolation must be met immediately.

Abdullah Öcalan was extradited to Turkey on February 15, 1999, in an intergovernmental cooperation and has been sealed off from the public for almost 22 years in the high-security prison Imrali. For more than two decades, defective ships, adverse weather conditions, states of emergency, or disciplinary sanctions have been cited as reasons why Öcalan cannot exercise his right to communication and visits from his relatives and lawyers. During this period, he was only allowed to make one phone call last April.

Since September 23, all requests for visits have been rejected with reference to a disciplinary penalty imposed for six months. One of the reasons for this sanction is the "roadmap" that Öcalan submitted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2009 as an additional submission.

There have been protests against the isolation of the Kurdish leader for years. This protest is led by the political prisoners in Turkey. It is primarily through their efforts that the isolation on Imrali has been broken several times.

On November 27, the PKK and PAJK prisoners in Turkey went on hunger strike once again with the demand to end the isolation. HDP member of parliament Habip Eksik spoke to ANF about the isolation and hunger strike resistance.

Isolation has many aspects

Eksik emphasized that the isolation of Öcalan violates national and international law. Moreover, it is a crime against humanity from which the government must immediately refrain. The isolation on Imrali has been extended to the entire population, said the HDP deputy and continued: "Today, nowhere can a press release be issued. The political work of parties is suppressed by the security forces. When people criticize the government, they are arrested and imprisoned. They are tortured. People die and the perpetrators of these murders are known. Imrali Prison is symbolic of the isolation and violations of rights that the whole society and especially the Kurdish people are exposed to. The isolation aims at the peoples' hope for peaceful coexistence. It therefore has many aspects and must be fought collectively.”

Öcalan's health is at risk

Although Öcalan has serious health problems, he does not talk about it, Eksik noted and continued: “The fact that a person of advanced age and with chronic illnesses is isolated in prison is an unacceptable violation of the law. The Ministry of Justice must act and the government must change its wrong policies. Öcalan's health is at risk because of the aggravated isolation. You cannot simply isolate people to silence them and prevent the spread of their thoughts. The necessary conditions for Öcalan's health must be created immediately, and lawyer and family visits must be made possible. As a doctor and member of parliament, I must stress once again that the treatment is inhumane and must be stopped. Everyone is dependent on the legal system, or will be one day. Whoever propagates lawlessness today may be affected by it tomorrow.”

The government bears the responsibility

Referring to the hunger strike in the prisons, the HDP deputy expressed his concern that similar incidents to the last year’s mass hunger strike might occur and that people could die as several prisoners took their own lives in protest at isolation in 2019. Habip Eksik recalled that this hunger strike was able to break the isolation for a short time. However, the state did not keep its word and the isolation was restored in absolute form after a short time.

"The prisoners should actually be released because of the pandemic, instead they are on hunger strike. Scientists have called for the release of prisoners worldwide. The prisoners see hunger strike as the only means, although the health risk is great anyway. They must be heard. The Ministry of Justice must immediately hold talks about the demands of the hunger strike. The government should show that Turkey is a welfare state and that human lives have priority. The isolation must be ended. Otherwise, the hunger strike could lead to major disasters. Isolation is a life-hostile condition anyway and the government bears the responsibility for the consequences.”