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

Öcalan’s isolation – “A law unto itself”

1:00 pm 25/01/2023
A A
Öcalan’s isolation – “A law unto itself”
Share this
FacebookTwitterRedditEmailLinkedInWhatsApp

Diaspora Kurds maintain a constant presence in front of the Strasbourg offices of the Council of Europe, in a vigil for Kurdish leader and PKK founder, Abdullah Öcalan. At a demonstration on the 25 January, the protesters demanded that the council’s anti-torture body, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), make public its report on a September visit to İmralı Prison where Öcalan has been serving a life sentence since 1999.

European politicians and activists supported the call for the release of the CPT report, an act that not only could liberate the political prisoners from enduring the torture of an imposed ban on communications with the outside world, but also a move that could contribute towards a solution to the Kurdish Issue as a whole.

Sarah Glynn from Medya News also joined the demonstration and has shared legal and political observations on the Öcalan’s case:

Sarah Glynn

Yesterday one of Abdullah Öcalan’s lawyers was in Strasbourg and I took the opportunity to ask him what was new since we last spoke. The answer was – very little. The lawyers have talked with the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), whose delegation visited İmralı prison in September, but the CPT will neither confirm nor deny the rumour that they never met with Öcalan. They won’t even give any information about his health and wellbeing.

But Ibrahim Bilmez was able to explain to me the legal games that are being used to deny Öcalan any contact with the outside world – or rather describe to me, because they lack any rational explanation.

Contrary to all human rights law, Öcalan is denied all visits and contact. He is denied visits from his family and visits from his lawyers, but the illegal legal rules employed are different in each case.

The excuse given for denying family visits is that he has been given disciplinary penalties. Each one lasts three months, and as soon as it is over, he is given another. These are given by the prison, and Öcalan’s lawyers are never informed.

Visits from Öcalan’s lawyers are banned by the court in Bursa, the court for the region where the prison is based. The ban is renewed every six months, and no reason is given. Öcalan’s lawyers have only once seen a case made by the court to justify their decision, and that was four or five years ago. Then, the Bursa court claimed that their ban was based on a cell confinement penalty given to Öcalan by prison staff many years earlier. And the reasons given for that penalty were that Öcalan had described education in the Kurdish mother tongue as a human right, and that he had produced a road map for peace, though this had been written with the knowledge – indeed the encouragement – of the state.

The Bursa court is does not even follow Turkey’s own laws. According to a Turkish law brought in a few years back, lawyers can only be banned from seeing their imprisoned clients if the prison staff report that criminal activity has occurred during their meetings, and this has been confirmed by a court. None of this has happened; and in any case, it would not stop a prisoner from seeing a different lawyer.

All these practices of isolation have been brought to the European Court of Human Rights in a case that began in 2011. The court is still to make a ruling. The lawyers are hopeful that a decision will be made soon, but they also know that although the Court’s rulings are binding, Turkey ignores them.

As Bilmez described the situation, he recalled Öcalan’s own observation that the international conspiracy that captured him nearly 24 years ago has put him into a living coffin.

 

Share this
FacebookTwitterRedditEmailLinkedInWhatsApp
Tags: Abdullah ÖcalanCouncil of EuropeCPTEuropehuman rightsİmralı Island PrisonTrendingTurkey

Related Posts

Russia brings Iran into Turkey-Syria normalisation talks

Russia brings Iran into Turkey-Syria normalisation talks

January 31, 2023
Medya News Daily Review: 31 January 2023

Medya News Daily Review: 31 January 2023

January 31, 2023
Why is İmralı prison exempt from Turkish law? – HDP MP

Why is İmralı prison exempt from Turkish law? – HDP MP

January 31, 2023
“HDP can still lead its voters even if the party is closed”: pollster on Turkey’s elections

“HDP can still lead its voters even if the party is closed”: pollster on Turkey’s elections

January 31, 2023
Finland wants “time-out” as trilateral NATO talks get heated over Quran burning

Turkey to consider Finland’s NATO bid separately from Sweden, says Çavuşoğlu

January 31, 2023
“I don’t know if he is dead or alive”, mother of İmralı prisoner tells international delegation

“I don’t know if he is dead or alive”, mother of İmralı prisoner tells international delegation

January 31, 2023

Videos

Medya News Daily Review: 31 January 2023
DAILYSHOW

Medya News Daily Review: 31 January 2023

January 31, 2023

All News

Russia brings Iran into Turkey-Syria normalisation talks

Medya News Daily Review: 31 January 2023

Why is İmralı prison exempt from Turkish law? – HDP MP

“HDP can still lead its voters even if the party is closed”: pollster on Turkey’s elections

Turkey to consider Finland’s NATO bid separately from Sweden, says Çavuşoğlu

“I don’t know if he is dead or alive”, mother of İmralı prisoner tells international delegation

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