ISTANBUL - IHD Istanbul Branch President Gulseren Yoleri stated that they asked the CPT to visit Imralı, where multiple rights violations took place, and to take some coercive measures on the government.

 

There has been no news from PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is imprisoned in İmralı Type F High Security Prison, for 35 months. Against the increasingly absolute isolation policies, Lawyers for Freedom Association (OHD), Contemporary Lawyers Association (CHD), Society and Law Research Foundation (TOHAV), Civil Society Association in the Penal System (CISST), Human Rights Association (IHD) and Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV) and many bar associations applied to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), demanding an "urgent visit".

 

In the application, an "urgent visit" was demanded to the İmralı Type F High Security Prison, where Abdullah Ocalan is being held, and a meeting was also demanded with PKK Leader Ocalan, as well as with the prisoners Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktas and Omer Hayri Konar, from whom no news has been heard. Gulseren Yoleri, President of the Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul Branch, which is among the applicant institutions, demanded that the isolation practice be abolished. 

 

'ISOLATION PRACTICES MUST BE ABOLISHED’

 

Emphasizing that Abdullah Ocalan has been held under special isolation practices in Imralı Prison since 1999, Yoleri underlined that isolation is a "torture". 

Yoleri stated that isolation policies are a violation of human rights and it is determined in this way in all national and international agreements. Yoleri said: “The absolute isolation practices in Imralı must be abolished. Not only is this not done, but its widespread use in other prisons in Turkey causes serious human rights violations. There is no statement from the Ministry of Justice that the isolation practice has been abandoned. In fact, the statements made with the opening of Type S and Y prisons indicate that a more absolute isolation will be implemented."

 

'ABSOLUTE LOCKDOWN AND ISOLATION IN IMRALI'

 

Emphasizing that "isolation, which is a method of torture, must be abolished in every dimension," Yoleri said: "At this point, our domestic law allows the execution of 1 and 3 people with the regulations in the execution law enacted following the 'Anti-Terrorism Law'. However, international rules, especially those regarding prisoners, insist that isolation must not be implemented. But the picture is changing, especially for Abdullah Ocalan and the other 3 prisoners held in Imralı. There has been no news from Abdullah Ocalan for nearly 3 years. The other three prisoners have not been able to meet since 2015. This situation indicates an absolute isolation in Imralı."

 

SCOPE OF CPT APPLICATION

 

Stating that according to Turkey's domestic law, every prisoner has the right to meet with their family and lawyers, Yoleri emphasized that the Turkish Penal Execution Law and subsequent legislation were ignored in Imralı. 

Yoleri said: “Denying prisoners the right to communicate with the outside world and to meet with their families and lawyers is a violation of rights. There is also a great violation of rights for the families. That's why there is an absolute isolation in Imralı, which causes multiple rights violations. For this reason, IHD has made various attempts to end the isolation since the beginning. Most recently, together with the bar associations and non-governmental organizations working in this field, we applied to the CPT to make another visit and to quickly announce the report of this visit. We also demanded from the CPT some coercive measures on the government to impose sanctions against this ongoing unlawfulness and absolute isolation imposed." 

 

'ACTIONS AGAINST ISOLATION ALL OVER THE WORLD'

 

Reminding that many lawyers from Turkey, the Middle East and Europe applied to meet Abdullah Ocalan after 2019, Yoleri said: “Applications are not made only by lawyers or rights defenders in Turkey. We see that all over the world, a stance is taken against this unlawfulness that took place in Imralı. We also underlined this in our application. We, as bar associations and human rights organizations, applied once again during this process."

 

'HUNGER STRIKES'

 

Stating that a strong struggle must be carried out against the rights violations in prisons and reminded the ongoing hunger strike actions in prisons, Yoleri said: “Intensive efforts and work against the isolation continue. But beyond that, it is very important to take the necessary steps to end the hunger strike. Because as hunger strikes last, serious health problems arise for prisoners. Our only wish is that the authorities take the necessary steps and the hunger strike ends before it reaches such a destructive stage."

 

MA/ Esra Solin Dal