Non-governmental organizations will discuss their report, including the violations in Imrali, with the UN Committee Against Torture on 16-17-18 July. The committee will then prepare a "Turkey Report" on the violations.

The 56th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council started on 18 June at the UN Geneva Office. Many human rights violations will be discussed in the sessions that will continue until July 12. The UN Committee Against Torture will discuss the reports of non-governmental organizations at the session to be held on 16-17-18 July. 

From Turkey, the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), Society and Legal Research Foundation (TOHAV), Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) and The World Organization against Torture (OMCT) are among the non-governmental organizations that submitted a report.

49-page report

At least one representative from the non-governmental organizations that submitted reports will attend the sessions where violations in Turkey will be discussed. On the first day of the session, non-governmental organizations will make presentations on their reports. In the following days, the Committee will ask questions to Turkey. The committee will prepare a "Turkey Report" after the discussions in the sessions. The report, which will cover violations and torture crimes in Turkey, is expected to be announced in 2025.

4 non-governmental organizations prepared a 49-page report on the sessions. The report included violations in other prisons, especially the Imrali Type F High Security Closed Prison, where PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held in absolute isolation and has not been heard from for 40 months. Violations of freedom of thought and expression were also included in the report.

Violations in Imrali prison

The report included comprehensive information about the deprivation of communication rights and the absolute isolation conditions of Abdullah Öcalan and prisoners Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Ömer Hayri Konar, who are held in Imrali Prison, not being allowed to meet with their families and lawyers.

The report noted that Imrali Island had been declared a military forbidden zone up to a certain distance on land, sea and air, and emphasized that the status, location, management approach, systematic practices and actions of the judiciary of the prison caused serious concerns about discrimination and torture violations.

8-year lawyer ban

In the report, Abdullah Öcalan, Ömer Hayri Konar and Hamili Yıldırım were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment; It was pointed out that Veysi Aktaş was sentenced to life imprisonment. It was emphasized that lawyers were not interviewed. It was stated that shortly after 1999, lawyers' views were violated for reasons such as "the boat broken", "bad weather" and "the captain on leave", and after July 27, 2011, the violation of the ban on seeing lawyers was further aggravated.

The report pointed out that Abdullah Öcalan was not allowed to meet with his lawyers for 8 years. It was stated that after the July 15 military uprising, on July 21, 2016, the Bursa Execution Judgeship decided to ban Abdullah Öcalan, Konar, Aktaş and Yıldırım from lawyer visits, family visits, telephone calls, letters and all other communication rights within the scope of the State of Emergency.

The report said: "These bans are based on provisions that can never be applied to prisoners. Although these bans began to be implemented in six-month periods in February 2018, they continued uninterruptedly with the decisions of the Imrali Disciplinary Board and have been repeated at least 20 times to date."

3 prisoners never met with their lawyers

Hamili Yıldırım was never allowed to meet with his lawyer; It was stated that Yıldırım made 2 family visits and 2 phone calls on 27 April 2020 and 25 March 2021.

Ömer Hayri Konar was never allowed to meet with his lawyer. He had 3 family visits in total; It was pointed out that he was allowed to make a phone call during the Covid-19 pandemic on April 27, 2020.

Veysi Aktaş was never allowed to meet with his lawyer. He had 3 family visits in total; It was pointed out that he was allowed to make a phone call during the Covid-19 pandemic on April 27, 2020.