As Turkey denies allegations of inhumane and illegal isolation at Imralı Prison, global initiatives escalate to counter the enforced incommunicado detention of Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), focusing on their next step: a coordinated public meeting on 9 May to rally international support.
On 10 October 2023, Kurds and their allies initiated a global campaign titled ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, A Political Solution to the Kurdish Issue’, marked by global and local protests along with hunger strikes in Turkish prisons. However, these efforts have yet to alleviate the strict isolation imposed on Öcalan in Turkey’s Imralı Prison, where he has had no contact with the outside world for over three years.
Members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party intensified their efforts by submitting a motion in the Turkish Parliament and appealing to the Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission on 7 December 2023. They demanded the lifting of Öcalan’s isolation and the restoration of his rights to family and lawyer visits.
In response, the General Directorate of Prisons and Houses of Detention claimed that all prisoners at Imrali, including Öcalan, “equally benefit from all rights granted by law”, citing regulations that are purported to ensure the rights of prisoners to participate in common activities and access communication methods such as letters and fax. Despite these claims, the Directorate’s assurances contrast starkly with the campaigners’ portrayal of Öcalan’s conditions.
The situation raises significant questions about the transparency and application of human rights standards in Turkey, which the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) could investigate. However, there has been no action from the CPT to verify these claims by visiting Imralı.
Looking ahead, the Vigil for Öcalan initiative and Maf-Dad* have organised a public meeting scheduled for 9 May at 19:00 UTC on Twitter Space, to further discuss Öcalan’s case. Respected panelists, including Malvern de Bruyn, Marwa Alsoinis, Jonas Staal, Dr. Deepa Driver and Michaela Arricale, will explore topics ranging from the influence of international law to the specific impact of Öcalan’s imprisonment on Kurdish liberation efforts.
The event promises to delve into why global institutions remain silent on human rights abuses and why freeing Öcalan is deemed crucial for the Kurdish people’s aspirations towards freedom and peace.
(*) MAF-DAD is an association founded on World Peace Day, 1 September 2006, by a group of German, Turkish and Kurdish lawyers, human rights activists and others. The name, meaning “law and justice” in Kurdish, symbolises both the plight and aspirations of the Kurdish people for justice amidst oppression.
