European institutions, including the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), have responded to a letter from Nobel laureates calling for the release of Abdullah Öcalan and renewed negotiations.
In a letter dated 29 August, ECHR official Marialena Tsirli thanked Professor Kariane Westrheim of Bergen University, who represents the Nobel laureates, for bringing Öcalan’s detention conditions to their attention. Westrheim replied, urging the court to send a delegation to İmralı, where Öcalan has been held in isolation for 42 months. She highlighted the “increasing concern” and “great sorrow” for Öcalan, his family, and lawyers, whose requests to meet with him have been repeatedly denied. Westrheim called for pressure on Turkey to allow a visit by the responsible bodies of the Council of Europe.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabriellius Landsbergis, President of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, also replied to the laureates’ letter, stating that Öcalan’s detention conditions would be reviewed at the Committee’s 1507th meeting. They “will continue to ensure that the Committee remains in a position to fully monitor compliance with the commitments made by the Member States,” Landsbergis wrote. Westrheim welcomed the response but noted that “Turkey pays little attention to such calls, so that in practice no changes take place.” She urged the Committee to send a delegation to İmralı to investigate Öcalan’s situation.
In an interview with Medya News, Westrheim said that the response from the European organisations was “positive and promising”. She continued, saying “I have sent a reply to both these bodies and I urgently ask the European Court of Human Rights to take up the matter with both the Committee of Ministers and the CPT and encourage them to take the initiative to send a delegation to Imrali to investigate the situation and state of health of Mr Ocalan.”
The CPT responded to a letter from Spanish MP Jorge Pueyo Sanz, stating that it closely monitors the conditions of those held in İmralı and referenced its visit there in September 2022. CPT President Alan Mitchell confirmed that the Committee maintains ongoing dialogue with Turkish authorities about Öcalan and the other detainees, and will continue to monitor their situation.
The ‘Freedom for Öcalan, A Political Solution To The Kurdish Question’ campaign also released their ‘Call For Worldwide Actions’, while reflecting on the year since its establishment. Highlighting their achievements so far, the campaign noted how they have “held international global books days, musical concerts, and dialogue meetings all across Europe and Kurdistan, to discuss how Mr. Öcalan’s ideas can act as a blueprint to transform our world towards peace and democracy.” Postcards were sent to Imrali Island, along with letters to the CPT and other European organisations.
“However, despite all of these efforts, we unfortunately have yet to end the isolation against Kurdistan’s leader Abdullah Öcalan, who remains illegally hidden by the Turkish state for the past 3 and a half years,” the campaigners said. “Therefore, as we approach the one-year anniversary between October 1-10, 2024, we would like to send out a clarion call for all of us to do even more, as we believe we are close to finally breaking through the international conspiracy that has lined up to deny Mr. Öcalan his philosophical voice and the Middle East his message of reconciliation.”
The letter concluded by saying “Abdullah Öcalan has not abandoned the Kurdish people or humanity despite a quarter-century locked away on a deserted island, so we will not abandon him.”
