Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party on Monday urged the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to initiate infringement proceedings against Turkey over its failure to comply with a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling on Abdullah Öcalan’s ‘Right to Hope’. Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has been detained in isolation on the high-security Turkish prison island of İmralı since 1999, in total incommunicado for the past 42 months and ongoing.
In 2014, the ECHR ruled that Öcalan’s aggravated life sentence, which excludes the possibility of parole, breached the European Convention on Human Rights. The court recommended that Turkey amend its laws to guarantee that prisoners are made aware of the potential for eventual release—known as the Right to Hope. Similar rulings have since been delivered in the cases of other prisoners, including Hayati Kaytan, Emin Gurban, and Civan Boltan. Despite these decisions, Turkey has yet to make any legislative changes.
At a recent meeting from 17-19 September, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers once again pressed Turkey to take immediate steps towards compliance. The committee warned it would consider drafting an interim resolution if no progress was made by 20 September.
During a press conference at DEM’s headquarters, Öztürk Türkdoğan, co-spokesperson for the party’s Legal and Human Rights Commission, reiterated the necessity for Turkey to comply with the ECHR ruling. He emphasised that every prisoner deserves to know when they may be released, protecting human dignity under European legal principles. Türkdoğan pointed out that around 4,000 prisoners in Turkey are currently affected by the lack of a ‘Right to Hope’.
Türkdoğan criticised the Committee of Ministers for its delayed response to Öcalan’s case, noting that it took until 2021 for the committee to formally request an action plan from Turkey, despite the ECHR’s 2014 ruling. He accused the Turkish government of not only ignoring the ECHR’s recommendations but also intensifying Öcalan’s isolation through what he described as an “absolute ban on communication”. He highlighted that Öcalan has been denied contact with his family and lawyers since March 2021.
Türkdoğan also called on the Turkish Parliament to address inconsistencies in its counter-terrorism legislation and repeal specific Penal Code provisions targeting Öcalan. He urged parliamentary groups to propose legislative changes that would align Turkey’s penal system with ECHR standards.
Nuray Özdoğan, a member of DEM’s Legal and Human Rights Commission, echoed these concerns, stating that the demand for Öcalan’s ‘Right to Hope’ is not only her party’s position but a wider public concern. She warned that disregarding the ECHR ruling could further erode public trust in Turkey’s legal system and hinder prospects for peace.
The DEM party also called on the democratic public to raise their voices against Öcalan’s prolonged isolation and to support the implementation of his ‘Right to Hope’ as a crucial step towards renewed peace efforts in the country.
The treatment of Kurdish leader Öcalan by Turkish authorities has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organisations and political groups, who argue that Turkey’s refusal to adhere to international human rights standards—particularly the ECHR’s 2014 ruling—violates Öcalan’s ‘Right to hope’. Despite repeated calls for reform, Turkey has yet to implement any changes addressing these concerns.
