Medya News
Subscribe
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
Medya News

International lawyers protest Turkey’s rights violations of Öcalan

European lawyers called on Turkey to comply with international laws and to stop violating the rights of the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, who has been incommunicado since March 2021.

12:02 pm 21/09/2022
A A
International lawyers protest Turkey’s rights violations of Öcalan
Share this
FacebookTwitterRedditEmailLinkedInWhatsApp

After some 2,000 lawyers from Turkey and around the globe called on Turkey’s Justice Ministry to break the imposed isolation of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, European lawyers redoubled their demands at an online press conference on Tuesday.

At the conference, the lawyers stressed that the imposed isolation of Öcalan, who has been prevented from any contact with lawyers or family members since March 2021, was a serious and systematic violation of the rights of both prisoners and lawyers.

Öcalan, who has been held on the prison island of İmralı since his capture in 1999, was allowed to hold brief telephone conversations with his brother Mehmet Öcalan in March 2021 and in the previous year. The last meetings the PKK leader was allowed to hold with his lawyers took place during a three-month spell in 2019.

At the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH)’s online press meeting, representatives from different countries called on the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to revisit İmralı Prison.

ELDH co-chair Barbara Spinelli defined the international struggle against the isolation of Öcalan and the three other PKK members serving prison sentences in İmralı Prison, Hamili Yıldırım, Ömer Hayri Konar and Veysi Aktaş, as the most attended legal case in the world.

While the lawyers at Tuesday’s press conference said they did not expect an immediate Turkish response to their demands, they vowed to continue the international struggle in support of Öcalan.

“It will be very difficult for the Turkish government to ignore such a global demand,” Spinelli said.

Spinelli also said the İmralı prisoners’ rights had been cruelly violated over a long period and called on the Turkish government to comply with the principles of international law that it legally acknowledges.

Lawyers say the isolation imposed on Öcalan and other İmralı prisoners violates the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, and also contravenes the UN’s Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, which specifically obliges governments to provide all prisoners with adequate opportunities, time and facilities to communicate with their lawyers without delay, interception or censorship.

Lawyers also argue that Turkey’s conduct on İmralı violates Code 5275 of the Turkish Execution Law, which says the state must ensure that prisoners can exercise their rights regardless of their identity and the nature of their crimes.

Raziye Öztürk, a lawyer at the Asrın Law Office which represents Öcalan, explained that the İmralı system carries the risk of all kinds of violations and has already openly violated the prohibition of torture. She called this “an unprecedented system in the world.”

Öztürk added that the law office had made 215 lawyer applications but had received no response, leaving Öcalan incommunicado for 18 months.

Moreover, the lawyers had not been allowed to examine the disciplinary case files against their clients, Öztürk said. Nor had they been informed of prison disciplinary punishment decisions, cited as the reason for the ban on visitations, until after the deadline for appealing the decisions in question had expired.

“We are very concerned about the isolation,” said Berenice Boehlo, Co-Chair of the European Democratic Lawyers (EDL).

Explaining that international efforts to end the isolation were essential, Boehlo called for the CPT to visit İmralı Island once again and observe the conditions at the prison.

Abdullah Öcalan’s legal representatives at the Asrın Law Office also appealed to the Council of Europe’s anti-torture body for an urgent visit to the İmralı Island Prison in August.

On its 2019 visit to the İmralı Prison, CPT defined the communication bans as a type of incommunicado imprisonment and reported that such a state of affairs was unacceptable and contravened international human rights instruments and standards.

Diyarbakır (Amed) Bar Association president Nahit Eren announced that the association had applied to both the Ministry of Justice and the Council of Europe upon the written application of the Asrın Law Office to the Diyarbakır bar association.

Fabio Marcelli, a member of the Research and Development Centre for Democracy and the International Legal Intervention Group, said Turkey’s current problems stemmed from the government’s failure to solve the country’s Kurdish issue, in which Öcalan plays a significant role.

“Öcalan’s presence is extremely important in terms of ensuring peace not only in Turkey but also in the entire region,” Marcelli said.

Lawyer Mustafa Shekh Muslem from Kobane argued that the arrest of Abdullah Öcalan in 1999 was also a violation of international law.

“It was a human abduction operation,” Muslem said. “The abduction was a conspiracy and the result of a collaborative effort by the intelligence agencies of multiple countries.”

Turkish intelligence agents captured Öcalan in a CIA-assisted operation in Nairobi in February 1999, while he was on his way to the Greek embassy.

Öcalan’s PKK launched an armed uprising in Turkey in 1984 to seek Kurdish self-rule after decades of repression in the country. Turkey defines the PKK as a terrorist organisation, but many Kurds see Öcalan as the foremost leader of the Kurdish political struggle.

Share this
FacebookTwitterRedditEmailLinkedInWhatsApp
Tags: Trending

Related Posts

Democratic Republic Conference discusses a new republic conception in Turkey

Democratic Republic Conference discusses a new republic conception in Turkey

February 4, 2023
PKK commander calls on international powers to change policies on Kurds’ fight for freedom

PKK commander calls on international powers to change policies on Kurds’ fight for freedom

February 4, 2023
Existential Questions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq – a weekly news review

Existential Questions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq – a weekly news review

February 4, 2023
The Codename is “The Boss”

Journalists from Turkey are under threat, says German intelligence

February 4, 2023
Kurds celebrate traditional fest in ancient Iranian village

Kurds celebrate traditional fest in ancient Iranian village

February 4, 2023
Threat of Syrian rebels the reason behind consulate closures in Turkey, says journalist

Threat of Syrian rebels the reason behind consulate closures in Turkey, says journalist

February 4, 2023

Videos

PKK commander calls on international powers to change policies on Kurds’ fight for freedom
KURDISTAN

PKK commander calls on international powers to change policies on Kurds’ fight for freedom

February 4, 2023

All News

Democratic Republic Conference discusses a new republic conception in Turkey

PKK commander calls on international powers to change policies on Kurds’ fight for freedom

Existential Questions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq – a weekly news review

Journalists from Turkey are under threat, says German intelligence

Kurds celebrate traditional fest in ancient Iranian village

Threat of Syrian rebels the reason behind consulate closures in Turkey, says journalist

Medya News

Impressum

About us

Privacy Policy

Subscribe
Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • World
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Ecology
  • Economy
  • Culture & Art
  • Daily Show
  • Newsletter
  • Authors
  • Podcast

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

Loading
Contact