Lawyer Cemal Demir and IHD Van Branch chair Mehmet Karataş stated that the ongoing isolation in Imrali has now reached an unacceptable level, and added that the isolation is actually tried to be legalized with the consecutive bans.

There has been no news for 19 months from Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and the other prisoners, Ömer Hayri Konar, Veysi Aktaş and Hamili Yıldırım, in the İmralı F Type High Security Prison, where they are kept under severe isolation conditions.

Asrın Law Office met with Abdullah Öcalan on 7 August 2019; his family had a very short phone call on 25 March 2021. The lawyers, who wanted to meet with Öcalan, made 203 applications, while his family and guardian 72. All the applications were left unanswered. Visits that were previously blocked for reasons such as "the coaster is broken" or "bad weather conditions" were replaced by the 6-month ban decisions of the Bursa 1st Execution Judge, after the State of Emergency (OHAL) was declared on 20 July 2016. Finally, a new 6-month "lawyer's ban" was given, and ended on 21 October.

A visit must be granted

Speaking to ANF, lawyer Cemal Demir stated that the purpose of the isolation is to push the prisoner out of the world and therefore from society, and added: “Isolation has much deeper and different meanings in the case of Mr. Öcalan. They feared Mr. Öcalan's manifesto for the liberation of the oppressed and exploited peoples. This is the main reason for the aggravated isolation of Mr. Öcalan. There has been no news from Mr. Öcalan since 25 March 2021. It is playing with the nerve endings of society. This has evolved into an unacceptable process. A visit must be allowed."

Cemal Demir also criticized the CPT's failure to publicly announce its recent visit to İmralı with all its details and clarity.

Fundamental rights violations

Human Rights Association (IHD) Van Branch President Mehmet Karataş said that it is a state policy to continue the isolation despite all objections, reactions and criticisms. "The execution of Öcalan's sentence continues in violation of the fundamental rights and obligations protected by international conventions, the constitution and laws," Karataş said.

Reminding that the introductory articles of the Penal Execution Law stipulate that the execution of a sentence cannot be contrary to human dignity and dignity, Karataş continued: “Not being able to reach any media such as publications, magazines, books, not being able to see other prisoners, not going to the yard and perform social/sports activities, individually or together, are reasons for violations against human dignity. That's why we say it's a crime."

Government wants to legitimate isolation

Reminding that every convict has the right to a lawyer within the framework of the Penal Execution Law as well as the attached regulation, Karataş said: “The restriction of this right can only be made by a court decision if it is stipulated in the law and a procedure in accordance with the law is applied. In order to cover up the violations of rights resulting from systematic isolation, a ban on lawyers has been introduced. These decisions are not shared with the public, lawyers and families. Thus, the right to take legal action and access to court without the right to object are also violated. This is evidence of the systematic practice of isolation by law. Thus, we see that we are faced with a different dimension of isolation.”