The justice vigil launched by Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputies against the Imrali isolation continued on its 12th day. Deputies Murat Sarısaç, Imam Taşçıer, Ayşe Sürücü, Kemal Bülbül, Erdal Aydemir, Fatma Kurtulan, Hüseyin Kaçmaz, Hasan Özgüneş, Mahmut Toğrul and Celadet Gaydalı attended today’s vigil.

In a statement, Hasan Özgüneş said: "As it is known, we demand an end to this isolation. We would like to express that our activities will continue in different ways as long as the isolation remains."

ISOLATION MUST BE LIFTED TO GET RID OF OPPRESSIVE REGIME

Özgüneş remarked: "The isolation is not only imposed on Mr. Öcalan, but also adopted in an aggravated manner in all prisons of the country. In the last two years, 142 prisoners have died due to diseases. There are 1,605 ill prisoners, more than 500 are seriously ill. This is a deliberate and refined form of execution. There are two main reasons why isolation has been aggravated both in prisons and in the İmralı prison and has permeated through the whole society. The first reason is that the Kurdish problem has not been resolved for 100 years and all governments believe that they can end this problem by violent means. The second reason is that there have been perpetual coups d'etats, martial law and state of emergency declarations in the country. Today, no one is safe in Turkey. We express that if the isolation is lifted, Turkey can get rid of this chaos, this dirty war, this oppressive regime and achieve a democratic, liberal and legal system."

'WHY ARE YOU AFRAID?'

Özgüneş continued: "We clearly saw that Turkey was relieved during the Oslo negotiations and in the 2012-2013 talks. Mr. Öcalan said this during the negotiation talks 'If I am given an opportunity, I can eliminate this dirty war and conflict environment'. For more than 22 months, Mr. Öcalan and his friends have not been allowed to meet with their lawyers and families without any legal justification. They have no contact with the outside world. All parties have the chance to resolve Turkey's problems, especially the Kurdish problem, through negotiations on a democratic basis in the parliament. Therefore, this isolation should be lifted as soon as possible, and his lawyers and relatives should meet with Mr. Öcalan and other detainees. We are hopeful we will continue our struggle until the end."