URFA - Speaking about PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan's refusal to meet with the CPT delegation, his brother Mehmet Öcalan said, "He does not want to have a 5-minute, half-hour meeting with the CPT, and than being imposed a ban on lawyers visits again for 2 years. This is his democratic protest against the isolation. It is a reaction. The Turkish state should take it seriously."

 

There has been no news for 617 days from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is being held in İmralı High Security Closed Prison. Abdullah Öcalan's lawyers announced that Abdullah Öcalan did not meet with the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) during their visit to İmralı on September 20-29. Asrın Law Office evaluated the fact that it was a protest against the ban on lawyer's visits.

 

Abdullah Öcalan was last heard from on March 25, 2021, through a 3-5 minute phone call he made with his brother Mehmet Öcalan. In this short phone conversation, Öcalan told Mehmet Öcalan, “Both you and the state are handling things wrong. No one have been able to visit me for the last year. This is not legal. The fact that you did this is very dangerous and very wrong. The government is also very dangerous. This is not right. If there will be a meeting it should be on a legal basis."

 

Mehmet Öcalan spoke to Mezopotamya Agency about the attitude of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the isolation.

 

DREW ATTENTION TO THE LAW

 

Mehmet Öcalan, in the last meeting, asked Abdullah Öcalan, "Who sent you, why did you come?" He said, "If I'm going to be visited, it should be according to the laws in Turkey. I have a legal and democratic right. I told you last time, and I say it now. This is not right. They should act according to law."

 

'GOVERNMENT SHOULD RESPECT ITS OWN LAWS'

 

Referring to the statement of Asrın Law Office lawyers regarding the CPT's visit, Mehmet Öcalan said, "We are also worried. Why did he not come to the meeting, we want to know what happened there as a family. This is a sensitive issue for us. The state, the Minister of Justice, the government should clarify this. According to the law. "We demand our rights from the state, the government and the Ministry of Justice. This is a very dangerous trend. The family and the public have no idea what's going on there. The state should respect its own laws."

 

'THE TURKISH STATE SHOULD TAKE THINGS SERIOUSLY'

 

Stating that his brother Öcalan has both a political position and the situation in İmralı is an issue of human rights, Öcalan said that just like he did not approve the last phone cal, he may not approved the CPT's visit either. Öcalan continued as follows: "He does not want to have a 5-minute, half-hour meeting with the CPT, and than being imposed a ban on lawyers visits again for 2 years. This is his democratic protest against the isolation. It is a reaction. The Turkish state should take it seriously."

 

'THERE IS NO PRISONER IN THE WORLD IN SIMILAR CONDITIONS LIKE HIM'

 

Stating that they wanted a delegation, lawyers or families to visit Imrali Island regularly, Öcalan invited the state to comply with the law. Öcalan said, "Imrali is an island affiliated with the Republic of Turkey. It is the state that took them there. It is the state that puts them there between 4 walls. That is why the state should fulfill its responsibilities. The state should ensure regular family and lawyer meetings as soon as possible. This is no prisoner anywhere in the world. This does not happen even in the African countries, nor in other antidemocratic countries."

 

Calling on the human's rights defenders, Öcalan said: "There are 4 people being held there. No one has ever heard from them in the past two years. First they should put this on their agenda. This is both an issue for Turkey and an issue for the Kurds. The doors of İmralı should be opened to the families, lawyers and everyone as soon as possible."

 

CALL TO THE PEOPLE

 

Stating that democratic institutions should raise their voice, Öcalan finally said: "I visited the island more than anyone. What has been done is shameful. Our people should show their democratic reaction. We should be able to say, 'Apo ensures peace in Turkey.' Everyone should know this. Everyone must take responsibility. If this bloodshed will stop, the impact and role of Apo, who is being held in Imrali, is very important. This is our call to the people."

 

MA / Müjdat Can