Turkish authorities have imposed a new three-month ban on family visits to Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and three fellow inmates, according to a Monday announcement by the Bursa Enforcement Court.
Öcalan, along with Hamili Yıldırım, Ömer Hayri Konar and Veysi Aktaş, has not been heard from for four years. The lawyers had applied for family visits, but the court said that on 4 July the disciplinary board issued a new sanction against them, according to Fırat News Agency.
The court did not specify the reasons for the disciplinary action and lawyers’ requests for information and documents related to the case were denied. The legal team plans to appeal the decision to the Bursa High Criminal Court.
Öcalan, a prominent figure in Kurdish politics, has been held incommunicado on İmralı Island since his capture in February 1999. He has been denied legal and family contact for the past four years and has faced severe restrictions throughout his 25-year imprisonment.
In March 2024, the Kurdish Human Rights Action Group, established in South Africa, initiated a campaign directed at Amnesty International, focusing on the plight of Öcalan.
Global efforts to draw attention to Öcalan’s isolation are ongoing. The ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a political solution to the Kurdish issue’ campaign has been underway since 10 October.
The campaign organised an event called ‘Dialogue Days’ from 15 to 22 June aiming to end the Kurdish leader’s isolated detention and promote his ideas on democracy and human rights in the Kurdish regions and beyond.
