Abdullah Öcalan is completely sealed off from the public in Imrali Island Prison. There is no contact with the outside world and not even his legal counsel can communicate with him. Applications for visiting permits are systematically rejected or ignored by the Turkish authorities, telephone contacts or written communication are also prevented.
The responsible public prosecutor’s office in Bursa last ordered a six-month ban on visits in September and, among other reasons, included the 2009 European Court of Human Rights:Roadmap for negotiations“Used.
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Mesut Beştaş ist mit der HDP-Abgeordneten Meral Danış Beştaş verheiratet
In Amed (Turkish Diyarbakir), attorney Mesut Beştaş spoke to ANF about Abdullah Öcalan’s solitary confinement. The lawyer pointed out that the isolation on Imrali has lasted for almost 22 years: “The state isolation policy is related to the Kurdish question. The politics of the state depends on a solution to the Kurdish question. If we look at state politics, it becomes clear how the Kurdish question is being dealt with. What happens on Imrali violates international law. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the trial against Mr Öcalan in Turkey was illegal. So the process should have been reopened. However, that has not been done. Even at the international level, no pressure has been exerted on Turkey for a new process to take place. The reason for this is that Mr Öcalan is a political person. Öcalan plays an important role in Turkey’s politics. “
From a legal point of view, the isolation could not be justified, stressed Beştaş and referred to the European Court of Human Rights and international institutions that define isolation as torture, abuse and human rights violation. He recalled that in the last report of the European Anti-Torture Committee (CPT), isolation had been openly discussed as an unacceptable measure for the first time. At the same time, Beştaş criticized the fact that the report was not followed by any acts, it was merely published.
Europe must put pressure on Turkey to end the isolation, the lawyer emphasized: “Institutions like the CPT can make statements and make suggestions. For the isolation to end, the EU must intervene. Unfortunately, human rights criteria have become less and less important recently. It cannot be said that the EU was serious about isolation. The EU states must refer to the findings of the CPT and warn Turkey. If these warnings are ineffective, sanctions must be imposed on Turkey. Unfortunately, however, the EU and international institutions are not paying the necessary attention to the issue. The reason for this are the political and economic agreements with Turkey. “
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