Selma Benkhelifa is one of the hundreds of lawyers who applied to the Turkish Ministry of Justice to visit Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan in Imrali. She said that they expected a clearer stance from the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).

Belgian lawyer Selma Benkhelifa, who attended the press conference held in Belgium on 14 September, spoke to ANF. Stating that their goal is to break the isolation on Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan, the lawyer said: “I think Imrali is unique in this world.”

Pointing out the absurdity of Abdullah Öcalan's being considered as a 'terrorist' by the state, Selma Benkhelifa said: “He is seen as a hero and a leader by millions of people. Then the state should take this into account and respect it. He should be released. The example of Nelson Mandela can give us hope. Nelson Mandela was also seen as a 'terrorist' by the Apartheid regime, but after he was liberated, he became president and received the Nobel Peace Prize.”

We have difficulties in understand the CPT attitude

Criticizing the silence of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture about the aggravated isolation on Abdullah Öcalan, lawyer Benkhelifa said: “In its past report, the CPT said that the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan was torture. The European Courth of Human Rights took a decision to take a stand against Turkey in 2014 and said that the isolation violated Article 3 of the ECHR. The CPT needs to take a stronger stance and fulfil its responsibilities.”