As the law firm of the Kurdish imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, the Asrın Law Bureau, applied to several non-governmental organisations to take action against the isolation of Öcalan and the other political prisoners Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş on Imralı Island, reported by MA.
The lawyers have applied to the following legal institutions: Civil Society in Penal System Association (CİSST), Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD), Association for Monitoring Equal Rights (ESHİD), Truth Justice Memory Center, Human Rights Association (İHD), Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), Society and Law Studies Foundation (TOHAV), Turkish Medical Association (TTB), Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV-HRFT), Amnesty International and demanded from the NGO’s to expose the unlawful situation in Imrali.
The Asrın Law Bureau also applied to Turkish legal authorites on 24 Nov, including the Justice Ministry, General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses and Human Rights Department, to be able to meet with Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners held in Imrali.
The last time lawyers were able to meet face to face with Abdullah Öcalan was in August 2019, after almost eight years. On 25 March 2020 Öcalan had limited contact with his brother Mehmet Öcalan via a phone call for only a few minutes and lawyers have not heard from their clients since then.
Sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment Abdullah Öcalan has been in İmralı Prison since 15 February 1999.
He and the other three other inmates, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş have been deprived of their basic rights such as the right to a phone call, or meet with their families. The Asrın Law Bureau and the families of the inmates in Imralı Prison have applied multiple times to the Turkish legal authorities to exercise their legal rights to visit, as well as this, they have also made several applications to many international institutions regarding the conditions of absolute isolation imposed on their clients, yet all their efforts still remain unanswered.
