Looking at the situation from a legal perspective, Silêman Îsa Ahmed, a member of the Freedom for Leader Abdullah Öcalan Initiative–Syria, emphasized that Öcalan’s imprisonment violates human rights. “Many human rights organizations have visited Imrali, but the Turkish state has stood as a barrier to Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom. The CPT has also visited Imrali multiple times, yet no concrete steps have been taken so far regarding the freedom of Leader Apo and his companions. We do not find any meaning in their visits, especially since the report from their last visit to Imrali in 2022 has still not been published. Normally, the CPT would publish and present its reports to the public within a year of each visit. Therefore, we can now say that the CPT is no longer a human rights institution and has succumbed to political pressure. Our trust in the CPT is steadily decreasing.”

Great expectations, no report

Ahmed added: “There were great public expectations during the CPT’s last visit, but no report was released regarding Öcalan’s condition. Our message to the CPT is this: if you are acting in the name of human rights, then you must examine all prisons comprehensively and transparently. Otherwise, it would be better for you not to visit at all than to conduct such visits. We strongly condemn the CPT’s decision not to visit Imrali and its silence. We are raising our voices to all human rights institutions and relevant bodies. Their duty is to protect the rights of all political prisoners and to carry out their responsibilities in a manner that upholds human dignity. Because the people do not accept this situation. Reassess your duties and correct your mistakes so that people’s hope in you can be restored.”

11 visits since 1999

The CPT has visited Imrali Prison 11 times since 1999 and has emphasized in its reports that torture and severe isolation were practiced in this prison. However, the CPT has never insisted on protecting the rights of the four prisoners held at Imrali. After each visit, it did not disclose all the information to the public. This is because the CPT can only visit a prison with special permission from the Turkish state, and most of the time, the state does not allow the CPT to publish its reports.

Moreover, the CPT has been able to go to Imrali as the result of public resistance and struggle. The people, who fight daily in the streets for Öcalan’s physical freedom, have pressured the CPT to take action. During every prison visit in Turkey, the CPT should also visit Imrali, which is a high-security F-Type prison. While the CPT stated it visited certain prisons in Turkey, it has yet to publish the report from its last visit to Imrali in 2022. This situation suggests that the Turkish state is preventing the disclosure of the torture happening in Imrali to the public.

Dates of the CPT’s visits to Imrali:

27 February, 2 March 1999

14 September 2001

16, 17 February 2003

19, 22 May 2007

26, 27 January 2010

16, 17 January 2013

28, 29 April 2016

May 2019

20, 29 September 2022

No new visit took place after those in 2022.

Dates the CPT visited prisons in Turkey but not Imrali:

Despite many calls to lift the isolation in 2021, the CPT visited many prisons in Turkey from 11 to 25 January, but did not go to Imrali.

During another CPT visit from 29 August to 6 September 2016, they again did not visit Imrali despite strong public demand.

From 7 to 11 April, the CPT visited some prisons and detention centers but again skipped Imrali.

Aside from the listed dates, the CPT has made numerous prison visits in Turkey without visiting Imrali.