The Turkish government has taken isolation to a new level by pursuing a policy aimed at erasing Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan from public memory, pro-Kurdish Green Left Party MP Ömer Öcalan told Medya Haber TV on Thursday.
Discussing or merely mentioning Öcalan’s incommunicado detention in İmralı Island Prison could now be considered a criminal offence, the MP added, stating that this was exemplified by the recent arrest of journalist Merdan Yanardağ due to his remarks about Öcalan during a television program.
The MP, who is also the PKK leader’s nephew, recalled that the last phone conversation with his uncle took place 28 months ago. However, it has been over three years since anyone had a face-to-face meeting with him. “So, in fact, the isolation predates that period,” he said.
Ömer Öcalan further stated that by examining this matter from a historical viewpoint, it became evident to him that the process that occurred during the years of the establishment of the Republic between 1915 and 1923 was similar to what the government is attempting to do now under the leadership of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) 100 years later.
“The government has initiated a complete purge process against the leaders of the Kurds, their parties, and all segments that have political demands and are in this struggle,” he said.
He explained that the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan did not simply pertain to his personal situation, but instead, it highlighted how the Turkish government interfered with critical aspects of the Kurdish community. Preventing Öcalan from communicating with the public and hampering his ability to express his views is a representation of this intervention, according to the Green Left MP.
Ömer Öcalan also evaluated the Turkish government’s approach towards anti-Kurdish sentiment in international diplomacy, using the NATO summit as an example.
