The Mesopotamia Platform of Religions and Beliefs calls on the Council of Europe and the CPT to fulfill their responsibilities and duties in the face of the isolation and torture regime imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.
The Mesopotamia Platform of Religions and Beliefs released a statement against the isolation imposed on the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been a political hostage of the Turkish state for 24 years and is completely sealed off from the world. The last contact with him and his three fellow prisoners on the prison island of Imrali was a brief phone call with relatives in March 2021, and even his lawyers have no information about the condition of their client.
Concerns over the situation of Öcalan increased after the Executive Council Member of the Kurdistan Democratic Communities Union (KCK), Sabri Ok said in an interview on the Kurdish TV Channel Sterk TV on July 8 that threatening letters had recently been sent to Abdullah Öcalan anonymously via the Imrali prison administration.
Pointing to the continued rejection of applications submitted by Öcalan’s lawyers and family members for a visit, the Mesopotamia Platform of Religions and Beliefs stated that; “Öcalan has been subjected to total isolation, which means torture in the international literature. Despite this truth, the Council of Europe, the CPT (Committee for the Prevention of Torture) and other international institutions fail to uphold their responsibilities, conniving at the unlawful arbitrary treatment by the Turkish state.”
The statement continued: “Mr. Öcalan has not only been the first person to defend a common life and co-existence of the peoples and beliefs in the ancient lands of Mesopotamia, but also became the architect of the path leading to peace. For this very reason, we strongly reject the aggravated isolation and torture of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan. It is thanks to him that we can live together today after all the massacres and genocides we have suffered in our geography for many years. Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom is a matter of vital importance to us. As the peoples and faiths in Mesopotamia, including Assyrian, Syriac, Islamic, Yazidi, Alevi, Yarsan, Feyl and Kakai communities, we urge the Turkish state to bring an end to these unlawful practices and we call on the Council of Europe and the CPT to fulfill their responsibilities and duties.”
