Abdullah Öcalan, the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who remains imprisoned under isolation conditions in İmralı High Security F-Type Closed Prison in Turkey, was banned from meeting his lawyers for six months from 23 September. It was also revealed that Öcalan was banned from making calls for six months.
Turkish authorities have blocked Öcalan’s lawyers from visiting him at İmrali Prison numerous times since 27 July 2011. Öcalan has been imprisoned in İmralı for 22 years.
People have launched events and protests to demand freedom for Öcalan. Peace mothers from the Dargeçit district of Mardin (Merdîn) in Turkey, criticised the isolation imposed on Öcalan and called for unity against supression.
Emine Gevcan said that Öcalan was the leader of 50 million Kurdish people and called for an end to isolation: ”A folk leader has been imprisoned for 22 years and held under isolation. He is the leader of 50 million. We demand an end to the isolation immediately. We want to meet Öcalan”.
Şükran Çelebi, another woman from Dargeçit, said that the attacks against Kurdish people were launched after the termination of the peace process. ”They attack the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) everywhere. These attacks are unacceptable. They have completely removed freedom and justice in this country”.
Momun İşleyen said that she was 70 years old and had been subjected to state oppression her whole life. “They consider Kurdish people as the enemy. I am 70 years old but I keep struggling. Our leader has been in prison for years. People must react against it. We have to do everything for his freedom”.
Fatma Duman echoed these sentiments: ”We demand peace, they demand blood. We say peace, they say war. They think they can remove us by killing… but they cannot. We will not bend”.