Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Deputy Group Chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, challenged the Turkish government’s secretive practices at İmralı Prison, suggesting undisclosed, questionable operations behind its stringent isolation measures. Koçyiğit directly challenged the Turkish government in Parliament, asking, “What are you hiding in İmralı?”
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan has been detained on the Turkish prison island since 1999, and in total incommunicado detention for the last three years.
During a session in the General Assembly, Koçyiğit criticised the response from the Justice Ministry regarding a human rights inquiry about İmralı, where significant restrictions on communication and visits have been imposed. She highlighted that for over four years, family and legal visits have been systematically denied, underlining a regime of isolation tailored by political choices rather than legal norms.
“The use of isolation at İmralı serves as a lens into the state’s approach to governance, revealing a disregard for legal and ethical standards,” she stated.
Koçyiğit also addressed the broader implications of such policies. “This isn’t merely about punitive measures but governance through isolation that spreads beyond İmralı and affects the whole nation. We have repeatedly raised this issue here and made numerous applications to the Human Rights Examination Commission. The official answer states that ‘isolation’ implies a total cut-off from communication, yet isn’t that exactly our point? No lawyer or family has been able to visit since 2019.”
She further questioned the inconsistencies in government statements versus practices. “In 2019, the Justice Minister lifted an attorney ban overnight, allowing five visits. Clearly, the capability for flexibility exists, yet no visits have occurred since then due to ongoing political decisions, demonstrating a façade of legality.”
Koçyiğit’s speech in Parliament ended with a call to action for all lawmakers: “We cannot remain silent to torture within our own borders. When the rights of one are violated, it’s an infringement on all. We do not recognise a legal system that operates on exceptions; we must underline this once more.”
She vowed that her party would continue to push for a democratic and transparent Turkey where such abuses are no longer tolerated.
