Isolation in Imrali has been going on for 24 years. Yet, an even heavier isolation has been in place for two years. After journalist Merdan Yanardag from TELE 1 spoke about this during a TV program, he was taken into custody and isolation was quickly taken off the agenda.

Nobody can talk about isolation

Speaking to ANF, Green Left Party Muş MP, Sezai Temelli, protested the fact that nobody talks about the issue of isolation. "Thanks to Merdan Yanardağ's statement, isolation was once again brought onto the Turkish public opinion agenda. This is a very neglected issue for the Turkish public. In fact, the isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan is perhaps one of the most important issues that are closely related to both Turkish and regional politics. Because we know very well that as long as this obstacle stands in front of Turkish politics, politics cannot be liberated. No steps can be taken towards the issue of democratization because the authoritarian regime is almost fed by it.

In fact, there is no one who does not feel discomfort about this issue, but there is no one who speaks up against it. Large sections of society talk about unlawfulness and injustice, and there are many explanations for why politics is dragged into such a place. But no one talks about what the main reason for this is. They neither talk about the Kurdish issue nor about the end of the Imrali isolation, which will be the most important solution to this issue."

Freedom of expression under trial

Temelli criticized the fact that the issue of isolation came to the fore and was dropped off the agenda very quickly. "Merdan Yanardağ's comments about isolation brought the issue onto the Turkish agenda, yet, as soon as it was there, it was swiftly taken off again. The issue was confined to the issue of freedom of expression. It was targeted with such hate speech that those who wanted to continue this discussion were silenced once again. The public should definitely discuss it. They should ask whether the issue of ending the isolation system is a matter of freedom of expression or human rights. It is absolutely necessary to talk about the rule of law, political liberties and the developments in politics in Turkey. You may be against certain ideas, but you have to deal with them politically. This is what politicians do. Lawyers, those who defend the rule of law, those who struggle for human rights, have been  

Over the past eight years, we have seen that lawyers, those who defend the rule of law, those who struggle for human rights, those who put forward a different view to work towards democratization in Turkey have been silenced. So we couldn't move forward."

Temelli said: "If we live in a country that is still struggling with serious problems, and the dose of authoritarianism is increasing, and therefore, very negative things are falling on everyone's share, whether politically or economically, we have to do something about it. I believe this issue should be seriously discussed. Of course, this debate should be continued by the people, and this sensitivity should spread everywhere. I think it is important to continue the multidimensional debate, both in legal, human rights and political terms. But as we continue this discussion, let's not forget that there is a person who has been living in conditions of total isolation for 24 years. He faces all kinds of violations of his rights. Everyone should now take the initiative to put an end to this usurpation of rights as soon as possible. This is not an acceptable situation. While continuing the political discussions, we should not forget that this inhumane practice continues. In this respect, I would like to emphasize that lawyers, medical professionals, human rights organizations and civil society organizations have very important responsibilities."