A new three-month disciplinary sanction has been imposed on Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), held in the high-security İmralı F-Type Prison. The sanction, for which no justification has been provided, prohibits Öcalan from receiving any visits. His lawyers have formally objected to the decision.
Since 3 March 2020, PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan had been prohibited from receiving visits, with an exception made for a brief phone call with his brother on 25 March 2021. Over these 43 months of complete isolation, no updates on Öcalan’s condition have been made available from outside sources.
Öcalan was finally allowed a visit from his nephew, DEM Party member Ömer Öcalan, on 23 October 2024. During the visit, Abdullah Öcalan remarked, “The isolation continues”. The new disciplinary sanction imposed on him reaffirms this, as it blocks all visits and prevents any further contact with him in the immediate future.
Öcalan calls for peace at first family meeting, breaking 43 months of total isolation
The Turkish Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunç, stated that since the 23 October visit, no request had been made for a meeting with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and that any future request would be considered. “As for this matter, it is clear how his relatives and legal representatives may arrange a meeting. There are principles in place, and according to them, a person can exercise their rights,” Tunç remarked.
Journalist Selahattin Erdem, on the other hand, interpreted the 23 October visit as a result of the growing pressure on the Turkish state from the international campaign “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan: A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question”. He argued that the intensification of this campaign was essential to end Öcalan’s isolation and to create conditions for him to work towards a solution of the Kurdish question and the ongoing conflict in Turkey.
The Asrın Law Office, which represents Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, reported that following the 23 October meeting, two further requests for visits had been submitted – one for a family visit and the other for a legal consultation. Both requests remain pending, reflecting the continuing uncertainty over Mr Öcalan’s access to visitors.
As the debate on the Kurdish issue continues, the restrictions on access to Öcalan underline the complex tensions and obstacles to dialogue in Turkey’s path towards a solution.
