Residents of the Martyr Rüstem Cudi (Maxmur) Refugee Camp in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) took to the streets on Saturday to protest against the isolation regime imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in Turkey’s Imrali Island Prison, where he has been held in solitary confinement since his capture as a result of an international conspiracy in February 1999.

The concerns of the Kurdish people over the situation of the Kurdish leader have increased since the Asrın Law Office announced on 29 December that Öcalan did not meet with the CPT (Committee for the Prevention of Torture) delegation that visited the prison in September 2022.

Residents of the Maxmur Camp demanded information about the situation of Öcalan and condemned the attitude of the CPT.

A protest march accompanied by slogans was followed by a speech by Bedran Piran, co-mayor of the Maxmur Municipality, who criticized the CPT for failing to adopt a stand against isolation.

“The CPT is supposed to be an institution against torture. If so, why is it cooperating with the Turkish state today? As the Kurdish society, we have concerns over the situation of our leader. The fascist Turkish state tortures the entire Kurdish people in the person of our leader, and makes the CPT a partner in it. We condemn the attitude of the Turkish state and the silence of other states. The Kurdish people should take to the streets in response to the aggravated isolation and claim Leader Öcalan,” Piran said, calling on the CPT to uphold its responsibility.