The Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) Executive Committee member Duran Kalkan was interviewed in a special programme broadcast on Medya Haber TV.
Kalkan shared his view that the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan is kept as a “hostage” because of his thoughts.
International legal authorities remain silent on the injustice Abdullah Öcalan has been subjected to on Imralı island prison, Kalkan emphasized.
“The ones who speak about the law and justice refrain from saying a single word when it comes to Imralı,” Kalkan said. “Of course there is a great struggle which has spread all around the world against such silence, but the powers still insist on maintaining such an inhumane and disgraceful isolation system.”
Kalkan reminded everyone about the “Road Map”, a letter of defence that includes the thoughts of Öcalan for the peaceful solution of the Kurdish question, prepared by the Kurdish leader, who sent the Road Map to the European Court of Human Rights in 2009. Abdullah Öcalan was given a disciplinary penalty on grounds of this letter at the end of 2020.
“After 12 years, now, they give a disciplinary penalty [to Öcalan] regarding that letter. This letter was sent to the ECHR as a defence but the ECHR does not even tell [Turkey] that they can’t punish him because of that,” Kalkan said. “Is it banned in Imralı to conduct theoretical work? Is it banned for Leader Apo to prepare a defence? Why is the ECHR so silent?”
“The ECHR, which claims that it spreads justice around the world, that it is the biggest legal authority in the world does not speak a single word on this matter.”
The PKK Executive Committee Member also shared the following criticism of the attitude of the Committee to Prevent Torture regarding the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan: “An organisation to prevent torture, so -called. But here is the torture: For a defence letter sent to the ECHR Leader Apo was given a penalty. Should he have not written a defence? Should he have not sent it to the ECHR? The CPT lays the founding system of Imralı. There is no justice here. Let alone democracy, there is no trace of decent politics here. There is an explicit state of hostage taking here.”
Kalkan shared his comments about the reasons for the pressure being imposed against Abdullah Öcalan as he emphasized that Öcalan was taken as a “hostage” due to his thoughts: “Why is Leader Apo still being kept as a hostage? Because of his thoughts, his beliefs. They try to make him give up on the cause of Kurdish freedom, give up on his demands to liberate women, youth and humanity.”
Kalkan also referred to the international powers’ role on the Imralı isolation with the following comments:
“The current Turkish Republic system was decided by the UK and France. The USA also approved this system. The Imralı isolation system was also adopted from the USA. Such an isolation represents the current state of the Kurdish question. We wage a struggle andwe have brought the AKP-MHP fascism to the point of collapse nationally and internationally, with our ideological, political struggle, with war, with propaganda and all, but the Europeans run to help them. Why? Because of an interest pact. On one hand, they call him a dictator; on the other hand they embrace the dictator.”
