The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers convened on 17 September in Strasbourg for a three-day meeting focusing on critical human rights issues, including Turkey’s handling of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s detention. Öcalan, who has been in isolated detention on İmralı island for 25 years, is serving an aggravated life sentence with no access to a review mechanism—an arrangement widely regarded as a violation of international human rights norms, particularly the Right to Hope.
Despite a 2014 European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling that Öcalan and three other inmates in Imrali prison should be granted the Right to Hope, Turkey has yet to implement the necessary legislative changes. The Committee of Ministers has repeatedly urged Turkey to rectify the ongoing violations, yet the situation remains unchanged.
Medya News correspondent Erem Kansoy, reporting directly from the Strasbourg hearing, provided key updates on the case. Öcalan’s legal situation remains stagnant, with Turkey resisting pressure from international bodies to amend its legislation and allow for sentence reviews.
Kansoy noted that millions of Kurds expect the Council of Europe to press Turkey to implement legal reforms that would grant Öcalan a new trial under international law and human rights standards.
One of the central topics on the agenda is Turkey’s refusal to release the findings from a 2019 inspection of İmralı Island by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT). The findings remain classified at Turkey’s request, prompting concerns about the transparency and the conditions in which Öcalan and his fellow inmates are being held. The continued incommunicado detention of Öcalan has now reached 42 months, with no contact allowed with the outside world, including his legal team and family members.
Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, who currently serves as President of the Committee of Ministers, responded to a call made by 69 Nobel laureates urging an end to Öcalan’s isolation and questions regarding Turkey’s failure to comply with the ECHR’s rulings. Rinkēvičs said the Council of Europe would “continue to monitor developments closely”.
Kansoy highlighted the Goran Group’s appeal to the Committee, which requested that Turkey be pressured to implement constitutional amendments to ensure the Right to Hope for Öcalan and other prisoners. Whether the Committee will push Turkey to amend its constitution or send a delegation to İmralı prison to assess the situation remains unclear.
While Öcalan’s case took centre stage, other human rights issues concerning Turkey were also discussed by the Committee of Ministers, including the ongoing detention of Kurdish political figure Selahattin Demirtaş and philanthropist Osman Kavala. Additionally, Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus was on the agenda, with a broader focus on Turkey’s human rights record and its compliance with international standards.
Despite the Council of Europe issuing a warning to Turkey three years ago, demanding compliance with mechanisms such as the Right to Hope, no progress has been made. Anticipation is building over the outcome of this crucial meeting, whether new measures will be implemented aimed at pressuring Turkey to adhere to its obligations under international law.
The meeting resolution is expected on 19 September. Medya News will continue to provide updates as developments unfold.
