A group from Frankfurt am Main has taken over the Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan Vigil in Strasbourg on week 627.

The vigil has been carried out by different groups of activists from various European countries since June 2012. The Frankfurt group called on the European institutions and in particular the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to end their silence regarding the illegal isolation of Öcalan in Imrali and not to participate in crimes against the Kurdish people. "Europe must apply its own human rights principles and preserve its independence," said a spokesman for the group, calling for an end to support for the fascist Erdoğan regime and to stop supporting injustice against the Kurds.

Abdullah Öcalan: No sign of life since 2021

Abdullah Öcalan was kidnapped in Kenya more than 25 years ago as part of an international conspiracy involving the USA and Israel, among others, and handed over to Turkey in violation of international law. He has been isolated from the outside world in the island prison of Imrali. The last time the 75-year-old received a lawyer's visit was in 2019, and his last family visit took place in 2020. In March 2021, a wave of international protests made it possible for Öcalan and his brother to have a telephone conversation, but this was interrupted after a few minutes for unknown reasons.

Since then, there has been no sign of life from Öcalan and his three fellow prisoners, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş. Requests for visits from the Istanbul law firm Asrin, which represents the four Imrali prisoners, are rejected by the Turkish judiciary, and requests for information remain unanswered. As a legal cover, disciplinary penalties are imposed every six months. International initiatives to lift the isolation on Imrali are also ignored in Ankara.

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture found after a visit to the island prison Imrali in 2019 that incommunicado detention is inconsistent with international human rights standards. The ban on visits by lawyers violates the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules), updated in 2015, the recommendations of the CPT and Turkish prison law.