The Free Women's Movement (TJA) made a written statement on the anniversary of the international conspiracy against Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan which led to his abduction from Kenya to Turkey on February 15, 1999.

'ALL LAWS AND CONVENTIONS ARE VIOLATED'

The statement pointed out that an absolute isolation has been applied in the Imrali Prison in defiance of all legal norms and international conventions.

Noting that Öcalan’s right to telephone, to meet family members and lawyers and to access the press-media was completely taken away as he was isolated in his solitary cell, TJA continued; “Lawyer visitation, a fundamental right of all prisoners, was de facto ceased on 27 July 2011. In May 2019, as a result of the hunger strikes, four more meetings could be held, but only to be de facto suspended again afterwards. In 2020, Öcalan contacted his family only twice, and the last news from him was received 10 months ago on April 27, 2020, after the pandemic threat.”

TJA pointed out that the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and international powers have imposed no sanctions for this lawlessness to come to end.

The CPT's exposed silence shows that international forces have an influence and a discriminatory approach to İmralı Island, said the TJA and added:“Most recently, the fact that the CPT did not go to the Imrali Island during their visit to Turkey from the 11th to the 25th of January 2021 reveals that this intervention and the international conspiracy continues.”

According to the TJA, the realization of the democratic, ecological and women’s emancipatory paradigm developed by Öcalan continues to be a nightmare to the sovereign powers.

“However, even though he is held prisoner physically, there is an attempt to build lives around this paradigm in many parts of the world, especially in the Middle East as in the women's revolution in Rojava. With his ideology, Abdullah Öcalan continues to be the hope of a free life for women, youth, and different faiths and identity communities.”

‘WE SUPPORT PRISONER’S DEMANDS’

The statement added: “With the awareness that the international conspiracy launched 22 years ago is continuing, we embrace the demands of all the prisoners who continue the hunger strikes in Turkey’s prisons and we reiterate the fact that freedom for peoples will not come unless the isolation is smashed. We cannot talk about democracy and justice unless the Imrali isolation, which is the legitimate ground for all unlawfulness and violation of human rights, is destroyed. We cannot talk about the resolution of the Kurdish problem either. It is our call to all local and international powers; Imrali is an absolute isolation system and must be abolished as soon as possible!”