A large group of Nobel Laureates have written an open letter to European and international human rights bodies expressing deep concern about the conditions in which Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan is being held during his 25 years of imprisonment on the Turkish island of İmralı. The laureates stressed that Öcalan’s conditions have worsened since his last communication with the outside world on 25 March 2021.
Despite previous international pressure and hunger strikes led by imprisoned Kurdish MP Leyla Güven in 2019, which resulted in Öcalan’s lawyers meeting him five times, there has been no further contact since. His last known communication was a phone call with his brother in March 2021, which was abruptly cut off as he protested against the curtailment of his rights.
The letter criticised European and international bodies for failing to take meaningful action on Öcalan’s rights, which are guaranteed under Turkish, European and international law. “Although his rights are guaranteed by the Turkish constitution and domestic legislation, by European Union statutes and regulations, and by international law, none of that seems to matter,” the laureates said. They also noted that although the United Nations Human Rights Committee has urged Turkey to end Öcalan’s incommunicado detention and allow him access to his lawyers, the Turkish government has failed to comply.
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) was particularly singled out for having access to İmralı prison and for producing 30 reports on its visits there, yet failing to bring about any significant change. The CPT’s latest report on Öcalan’s conditions has not been made public due to restrictions imposed by the Turkish government. “The fact that Turkey has refused permission to publish this latest report is particularly worrying because in its previous report the CPT had nothing positive to say about the treatment of prisoners at Imrali,” the signatories said.
The laureates stressed the importance of dialogue and negotiation for peace between the Turkish and Kurdish people, referring to previous negotiations during the Oslo talks and the İmralı process. “President Erdoğan himself recognised that the only way to peace between the Turkish and Kurdish people is through dialogue and negotiation with Abdullah Öcalan,” they wrote, calling for his release and the resumption of peace negotiations.
The signatories include prominent figures from a wide range of backgrounds, reflecting the widespread international concern about Öcalan’s situation and the need for his release and the resumption of peace negotiations. “The people of the world want peace and a secure future, we join them in that desire,” they concluded.
