Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Executive Committee member Duran Kalkan has called for an international response to worsening conditions of isolation imposed on inmates at Turkey’s high security İmralı prison island. Describing the practices as systematic isolation and torture, Kalkan urged for robust action to counter these violations.
During a special programme broadcast by Medya Haber TV on Tuesday, Kalkan emphasised that the use of isolation policies has escalated in İmralı, where PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held since 1999. He decried the continuous and on-going two and a half year incommunicado detention endured by Öcalan, characterising the situation as a glaring exemplar of Turkey’s legal transgressions.
Kalkan accused Turkish government officials of misleading the public over violations inside prison walls, and disregarding legal parameters on isolation measures.
“The current administrators have made false claims,” Kalkan alleged, “They’ve addressed the public, asserting that there were no legal violations [in İmralı Prison]. However, their actions now betray a disregard for legal principles,” he said.
Kalkan reiterated that incumbent government officials manipulate the law to suit their ends, practising unlawful isolation practices under the guise of disciplinary action.
As we approach the twenty-fifth year of Öcalan’s confinement, the policies and practices used against prisoners in Imrali demonstrate that authorities hold a prolonged stance geared towards obstructing the reevaluation and release of Öcalan under the pretext of European law, Kalkan said.
Kalkan criticised prominent international bodies for remaining silent in the face of the severe isolation imposed on Öcalan and the other three detainees in Turkey’s prison island.
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), the Council of Europe, and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) were accused by Kalkan of tacit complicity in the matter under the conspicuous silence.
“These international establishments, which bear responsibility for overseeing the İmralı system, have collectively chosen the path of silence. This silence can only be interpreted as a form of consensus,” Kalkan remarked.
However, Kalkan pointed to the unwavering determination of the Kurdish community and their supporters in continuing to seek international recognition of the violations and justice for the prisoners. The freedom for Öcalan campaign must be intensified, Kalkan urged.
He recalled the resilience demonstrated by Kurdish youth across Europe who have firmly declared an unremitting commitment to securing Öcalan’s freedom.
“Our movement must broaden, its influence stretching into every sphere. We must not falter, nor cease our efforts,” said Kalkan.
