Turkey’s Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç stated on Thursday that future meetings with Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan would be considered based on official requests. Öcalan, who has been held in solitary confinement on İmralı Island for the last 43 months of his more than 25 year imprisonment, received a family visit as public debate over his isolation continues. The minister made his remarks during a televised interview, responding to questions about Öcalan’s visitation conditions.
When asked if additional meetings with Öcalan might occur, Tunç clarified that the recent visit by Öcalan’s nephew, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party MP Ömer Öcalan, was arranged under existing family visit regulations. “This isn’t a new application,” he explained. “His lawyers and family have been requesting visits for a long time. Future meetings will be evaluated based on requests, in line with our regulations.” Tunç noted that Turkey’s legal framework clearly outlines conditions for family visits for detainees, and each request follows established procedures.
Öcalan’s prolonged solitary confinement has remained a controversial topic in Turkey, with human rights advocates and political figures questioning the legality and humaneness of such isolation measures.
