Kurds must tell world they have suffered like Palestinians

[Anthea]

Is Abdullah Öcalan still alive?

No news has been received from Abdullah Öcalan for 43 months

Abdullah Öcalan has been held in İmralı Island Prison for 25 years. He is believed to be under severe isolation under conditions of absolute incommunicado and torture, and his right to see his lawyers and family members is being usurped.

Abdullah Öcalan was last visited by his lawyers in 2019, while his last family visit was in 2020. In March 2021, a wave of international protests enabled a telephone conversation between Öcalan and his brother, but it was interrupted after a few minutes for unknown reasons.

Since then, there has been no sign of life from Öcalan and his three fellow prisoners in İmralı Island Prison, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş. Requests for visits from the Istanbul-based Asrın Law Office, which represents the four Imrali prisoners, have all been rejected by the Turkish judiciary, and requests for information remain unanswered.

As a legal cover, extended disciplinary penalties are imposed in the prison system every six months. International initiatives to lift the isolation on Imrali are also ignored in Ankara.

Öcalan turned his back on all the martyrs who died fighting (and are still fighting and dying) for a free Kurdistan.

On August 28, 1998, Öcalan declared a ceasefire and proposed a democratic solution to the Kurdish question in a live broadcast on MEDTV via a telephone connection. During the program, he also answered questions from 25 journalists representing international media organizations and Turkey’s mainstream news outlets.

This program generated significant attention and received extensive coverage in the Turkish media. However, the PKK’s ceasefire, set to begin on International Peace Day on September 1, and Öcalan’s proposal for a peaceful resolution did not receive a favorable response.

Thus, on October 9, 1998, the plane carrying Öcalan was compelled to depart Syria, where he had been residing for 19 years.

Abdullah Öcalan was not a fighter, just a man with a charismatic personality who made an excellent figurehead for the PKK.

His departure came at the request of the Syrian government, as Turkey amassed troops along its Syrian border, threatening its southern neighbor with an invasion of Damascus unless Öcalan was deported.

Once expelled from Syria on 9 October 1998, Abdullah Öcalan decided to make his way to Europe rather than to the PKK's strongholds in the Kurdish mountains of Northern Iraq or North-Western Iran.

Abdullah Öcalan's first destination was Greece, from where he immediately had to continue to Moscow. Neither of the countries were prepared to effectively grant him political asylum.

On 13 November 1998, Abdullah Öcalan entered Italy, where he was allocated temporary accommodation in a Roman suburb until 17 January. The Italian authorities turned down a Turkish request for extradition on grounds that Mr. Öcalan would face the death penalty upon his return to Turkey.

At the same time, the German Federal authorities decided to defer an arrest warrant against Abdullah Öcalan that had been issued in 1990 on grounds of a legally adventurous construct. The two countries' prime ministers conferred on possible venues for an international conference on a political solution to the Kurdish question with European involvement.

Öcalan repeatedly made clear that he was prepared to stand trial before an international court himself under the unrealistic condition that Turkey be tried, too. But his hopes and demands were not met.

The Turkish government and media apparatus had unleashed an ever-mounting campaign of chauvinist outrage against Italy for harbouring Öcalan, "the baby killer and murderer of 30,000 people." The campaign amounted to a boycott of Italian products and generated stark anti-Italian sentiments amongst the Turkish populace.

At the same time, and less parochially, the USA silently used diplomatic channels to dissuade European governments from supporting any political initiative for a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish conflict.

Germany's move to defer the arrest warrant then turned out to be a green light for the Italian government's final decision to pressure Abdullah Öcalan into leaving the country for an uncertain destination notwithstanding his outstanding asylum application.

All European countries refused to grant him leave to enter. Via Moscow, Athens and Corfu the Kurdish leader was finally flown to the Greek Embassy at Nairobi, Kenya, in what became increasingly obvious as a deliberate consipracy to maneuvre him into a position where he could be handed over to the Turkish authorities as soon as safeguards of European law were effectively by-passed.

When Öcalan was finally forced off the premises of the Greek Embassy at Nairobi on 15 February 1999, the private plane of a Turkish businessman had already been waiting for him on the tarmac of Nairobi airport for a couple of days.

In his application to the European Court of Human Rights, Mr. Öcalan gave an account of the last sequence of events surrounding his abduction:

"Black persons in a jeep kidnapped me by force. Staying in the embassy or going with them could have resulted in my being killed all the same. They drove the car right up to the door of the plane. Later, we entered a non-public area of the airport.

My consciousness failed me. Most probably, they used some drugs on me. I can confirm that I was not in possession of my willpower at that stage. I can confirm that I felt numb.

As soon as I got on the plane, someone hurled on me. They were Turkish. All those standing around the plane were armed and from their appearance I think they were either US Americans or Israelis. No Turks were there until we got to the plane. Turks were only on the plane itself."

[Anthea]

Rally in support of Ocalan

DEM Party called on people to attend a rally in the city of Diyarbakir (Amed) in support of the imprisoned Abdullah Ocalan on Sunday 13 October

MUST ASK FOR PROOF OF LIFE

Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) planned to organize a rally in the city of Amed. The party released a statement on Wednesday inviting “all our people to the rally that will be held on Sunday, 13 October, … to demand the end of isolation, to ensure that Mr. Ocalan can meet with his lawyers and family, and to revive the hope for peace in Turkey.”

The call comes a day after the Diyarbakir governor’s office issued a ban on rallies and public gatherings for five days, ahead of the anticipated rally, citing fear of violence by PKK sympathizers.

“These actions could incite provocative events that harm our national unity and solidarity, intensify incidents aimed at the fundamental principles of the Republic and the indivisible integrity of the state with its country and nation,” read a statement from the governor’s office.

The ban on rallies begins on Wednesday, October 9 until 11:59 pm on October 13.

Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist organization. Any activity and affiliation with the group is illegal according to Turkish laws.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/09102024
Rallies and demonstrations in support of Ocalan often end in clashes with security forces.

In November 2023, the Turkish security forces arrested 28 people in the southern province of Mersin for participating in a march that called for “ending isolation" on Ocalan.

Ocalan founded the PKK in 1978 and the party began its armed struggle against the Turkish state in 1984. The party, which fights for the rights of Kurds in Turkey, is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara.

Ocalan was arrested in Nairobi in 1999 and has been in jail ever since. His lawyers and family have several times been prevented from contacting him. His elder brother Mehmet last had a short phone call with him in March 2021. Numerous subsequent requests by lawyers and family to meet the PKK leader have been rejected.

[Anthea]

Ocalan was sentenced to death

Turkey abolished the death penalty

Ovalan's sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment

Many have been pushing for the death penalty to be bought back

The Law 5275 on the Execution of Sentences provides that prisoners sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment are held in rooms for one person and are allowed one hour of open air or sports per day. Under subparagraph c),

Prisoners serving aggravated life imprisonment may have their daily one-hour open-air exercise and sports period extended and may be allowed to engage in limited contact with prisoners accommodated in the same unit, depending on the risk factors, security requirements and the efforts and good behavior they demonstrate in rehabilitation and educational activities.

Ocalan is not the only person serving aggravated life imprisonment

Nor has he spent the most amount of time serving such a sentence

As Ocalan's imprisonment is legal under Turkish law

The only way to free Ocalan is by legalising the PKK

Almost the entire world supports Palestine

Why have Kurds completely failed to draw attention to the similarities between the suppression and genocide of Kurds for 100 years and the suppression and genocide of Palestinians for nearly as long

Palestine's HAMAS is the Kurd's PKK

[Anthea]

3-day march in London

As part of the global campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, a 3-day long march was launched in London by the Revolutionary Youth Movement in Britain

The young people carrying banners and placards promoting the campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, danced to songs by Kurdistan Freedom Guerrillas.

Speaking on behalf of the British freedom campaign, Ercan Akbal said: “Today Abdullah Öcalan’s paradigm has found an echo all over the world and Abdullah Öcalan has shattered the conspiracy with the paradigm of democratic confederalism.

It is unacceptable that Abdullah Öcalan is kept in captivity. He has frustrated this conspiracy with his democratic, ecological and women's libertarian paradigm. Today, the freedom campaign for Abdullah Öcalan continues all over the world, also expresses that his captivity is no longer acceptable.”

Marking the anniversary of the 9 October International Conspiracy, Akbal cursed the conspirators and said “Abdullah Öcalan will be liberated,and the conspirators will be defeated.”

After the speech, dozens of young people marched with banners with Abdullah Öcalan's pictures on them, songs and slogans. The march started in the Haringey area and attracted great interest from the people, while vehicles honked their horns in support.

Kurdish musicians sang songs of revolution and freedom

The march, which will last for three days, will end in front of the Parliament building on 10 October.

Kurdish artist Mir Serhad, one of the participants of the march, said: “Our people must stand up. We salute Abdullah Öcalan and we will be on the streets and squares for his freedom. Today is the day of unity. Kurdish people will succeed. We salute Abdullah Öcalan and we salute the Kurdistan guerrilla.

We do not and will not accept colonialism anymore.

We will struggle until our Kurdistan is FREE

Youth Movement Spokesperson Mazlum Çewlik stated that they will march for three days and said, “We will not accept life without Leader Apo. We say either freedom or freedom. We are the fighters of Kurdistan. The whole world should know this and our people should join this freedom march.”

One of the participants in the march is 72-year-old Heval Seyda. Heval Seyda drew attention to the global campaign, which has completed one year, and said, “Our march is enthusiastic and beautiful.

We are marching for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan. The people of Kurdistan will be freed when Abdullah Öcalan is freed. We will continue our march, we will not get tired.”

Hamza Amed from the Youth Movement stated: “We will break the absolute isolation and liberate Abdullah Öcalan. We do not recognise this fascist state, we will never recognise it. We will not stop until Abdullah Öcalan is freed. The 9 October Conspiracy was frustrated by the paradigm of the Leader, which came to life in Western Kurdistan. Now it is the turn of the world.”

A young woman named Elif stated that the freedom of the Kurdish people depends on the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and invited everyone to condemn the conspiracy and march for freedom.

The march started by the youth activists will continue through the most central parts of London. While the enthusiasm of the young people continues, the first day will end in Old Street, one of the most important centres of the city.

Abdullah Öcalan is a sick old man, he was never a fighter but became the figurehead of the PKK due to his charismatic personality.

Abdullah Öcalan is an idealist who came to power supporting the Kurdish liberation movement. For 100 years Turkey has suppressed, tortured, raped and murdered countless thousands of Kurds, not forgetting those who just disappeared.

And not to forget how the entire Kurdish homeland was isolated for many years, the Villages, homes, farms and forests burnt to the ground.

Kurds were forced from their traditional homeland

The mineral wealth of Northern Kurdistan is being stolen

Even today the Turkish military is invading Kurdish homes and villages

Turkey committed GENOCIDE

[Anthea]

MP Aslan against İmralı isolation

The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Şırnak MP Nevroz Uysal Aslan submitted an application to the Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission (İHİK) regarding the situation of Abdullah Öcalan, Veysi Aktaş, Ömer Hayri Konar and Hamili Yıldırım, who are held in İmralı Island Prison and have not been heard from for 43 months

The application said that: "Mr. Öcalan, was last heard from on 25 March 2021. This was Abdullah Öcalan's intermittent phone call with his brother Mehmet Öcalan, which lasted a few minutes.

Abdullah Öcalan's last meeting with his lawyers was on 7 August 2019 and no lawyer visit has been made since then. There was an uninterrupted ban on lawyer visits in the island prison for 8 years, from 27 July 2011 until 2 May 2019. In 2019, Mr. Öcalan was allowed to meet with his lawyers 5 times.

After the last lawyer visit on 7 August 2019, this ban was imposed on Öcalan again uninterruptedly. All applications made by his family and lawyers against this practice and unlawfulness, which is unprecedented anywhere in the world, were repeatedly left inconclusive by the prison administration citing disciplinary penalties.

This situation, which constitutes an exception even to lawlessness, has been continued by not notifying the lawyers of the administrative and judicial banning decisions, which are obligatory to be done so, and the lawyers have been prevented from even taking photocopies from the file.”

The application pointed to the report on isolation announced by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CTP) on 5 August 2020 and said, “The report defined the state of not receiving any news from İmralı Island Prison as “incommunicado”, that is, absolute non-communication, and stated that this situation is unacceptable.

With an application dated 29 July 2022 by Mr. Öcalan's lawyers, the absolute isolation in İmralı Island Prison was also put on the agenda of the United Nations Human Rights Committee. On 6 September 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee took a precautionary decision regarding the application to ‘put an end to the incommunicado detention of the applicants and to allow the applicants to have immediate and unrestricted access to a lawyer of their choice’.”

Noting that the state did not fulfil its obligation regarding the decision taken by the Committee, the application further included the following: “However, the state and government officials did not fulfil the Committee's request for this measure. On the contrary, they responded to this decision with new arbitrary bans on family, guardian and lawyer visits and telephone conversations.

Subsequently, as a result of the second application made by the lawyers due to the non-implementation of the injunction, the UN Human Rights Committee transmitted to Turkey its second injunction request dated 19 January 2023 to put an end to the incommunicado detention and to provide immediate and unrestricted access to a lawyer of their choice. However, this decision has not been implemented either.”

The application recalled that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe requested Turkey to provide information by 26 July 2025 on the follow-up of its recommendations on Abdullah Öcalan and 3 fellow prisoners, on the facilitation of their meetings with their families and legal representatives, and on the repeal of legislation that came into force during the state of emergency and affected the enjoyment of fundamental legal guarantees.

The application concluded: “In order to put an end to the violation of the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment in İmralı Island Prison that has continued for a quarter of a century and to establish lasting peace and the rule of law in Turkey, it is essential that your Commission takes initiatives and develops solutions to end the legislation and practice contrary to international human rights instruments and standards.”

[Anthea]

Thousands march in Amed before

Freedom for Öcalan rally

Before the rally organised by the Democratic Institutions Platform with the slogan ‘We resist against the conspiracy, we meet in Amed for freedom’, many locations in Amed (Diyarbakır) were blockaded by the Turkish state forces. A number of streets and avenues of the city, especially the İstasyon (Station) Square, were blocked by armoured vehicles

A number of people, including DEM Party MPs, gathered on Göçmenler Street in the Fatih neighbourhood of Bağlar district and marched towards İstasyon Square. Police forces tried to prevent the march. Many other people gathered in front of AZC Plaza in the Ofis neighbourhood, one of the gathering places for the rally.

On the other hand, thousands of citizens who wanted to go to Amed from different cities were prevented by the police on the grounds of the ban decisions taken by the governorships. After the preventions, sit-in protests started in many cities.

In many places in Turkey, buses on their way to Amed were stopped by the police. A bus with forty people from Çanakkale and Balıkesir was stopped and checked seven times on Saturday evening, and in Bursa the bus was not allowed to continue. The people protested against the measure with a sit-in. In Ankara, people who had gathered in Kurtuluş Park to travel together to Amed were surrounded by police.

The DEM Party headquarters in Yüksekova has been besieged by a large police force since Saturday morning. In Mersin, Adana, Dersim, Urfa, Batman, Siirt and Van, departures to Amed have also been prevented.

As the İstasyon Square was blockaded before the rally, people gathered at many points in the city. Thousands of people came together in Ofis neighbourhood, one of the gathering places. Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) Co-spokesperson Cengiz Çiçek, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chairs Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and Keskin Bayındır, Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-Chairs Tuncer Bakırhan and Tülay Hatimoğulları, Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's brother Mehmet Öcalan also attended the meeting.

People frequently chant the slogans ‘Bijî Serok Apo’ (Long Live Öcalan) and ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) as they have started the Freedom March from many points of the city.

Young people are organising a march on the streets of Bağlar district with the slogan ‘Bijî Serok Apo’.

In the meantime, people travelling from Mardin and Şırnak to join the rally in Amed reached the Çınar district of Amed. The people started to march to the centre of Amed, defying the police barrier.

The people travelling from Urfa were stopped at Pirinçli Police Point at the entrance to Amed. The crowd then started to march on foot.

[Anthea]

Press statement in Amed:
Stop the torture, open the doors of İmralı!

A press statement was made in Amed (Diyarbakır) after the banning of the Freedom Rally and prevention of gatherings across the city by a large police force

Addressing thousands who managed to gather in the Ofis neighborhood, Rezan Sarıca, one of the lawyers of Asrin Law Office, said: “Thanks to this struggle, we held talks with Mr Abdullah Öcalan in Imrali in 2019. It ennobles and enlarges the hope of freedom. Greetings to those who keep the hope of freedom alive.”

Sarıca said, “As you may remember, Mr Öcalan has expressed his promises of rational peace and democratic political negotiation for the solution of social problems in Turkey and the region. In these talks, we saw that Mr Öcalan maintained his democratic position, that he was confident about the future, and that he was in great excitement about the construction of social peace. At that time, we made these historical observations and warnings.”

Commenting on the last meeting with Abdullah Öcalan, lawyer Sarıca reminded the following words of Öcalan:

‘I am trying to make room for the Kurds, let's solve the Kurdish question. I say I can eliminate the possibility of conflict in a week. I can solve it, I trust myself, I am ready for a solution. However, the state must also fulfill its state wisdom.’

Lawyer Sarıca continued: “We have experienced that Mr Öcalan's observations were absolutely right. While Mr Öcalan was struggling hard to warn everyone, Lebanon and Western Kurdistan had not entered such a period of war, polarisation and conflict.

UNTRUE: Western Kurdistan had been fighting for freedom and Independence for a number of years before the inception of the PKK, many of the most famous and dedicated political leaders and freedom fighters come from Western Kurdistan

Since then, the culture of masculinity expected from war has attacked even more. At that time, when it was obvious that everyone was trapped in narrow, periodical and political calculations, Mr Öcalan proposed a solution. He did this under the unprecedented conditions of isolation in İmralı.

He warned that a Turk without a Kurd and a Kurd without a Turk could not exist

He stated that the growth of the Kurds would be parallel to the growth of the Turks. He stated that peoples would live in peace in the Middle East. The hand extended by the Kurdish people was left hanging in midair. If there are political approaches and calculations like in the past, if the denial of the existence of the Kurds is continued in a veiled way or differently, this should be abandoned, and strategic peace projects should be adopted.

When we look back from today, historical statements, determinations and predictions reveal a truth to us. Mr Öcalan's stance foresees the survival of society. What I have to say today is the most basic need. Abolish torture, open the doors of İmralı. Create an environment where Mr Öcalan can work democratically.”

A Turk without a Kurd and a Kurd without a Turk could and should exist, Kurds deserve their own land, they fought for it and thousands died for it.

Sadly, because Öcalan has been in isolation for 25 years he has absolutely no way of knowing what is happening in the world or the number of countries that have gained independence with a much smaller population than that of the Kurds in Northern Kurdistan and a much smaller land mass than the Kurdish homeland of Northern Kurdistan, not forgetting the mineral wealth that by rights should belong to the Kurds

For years Turkey has been stripping the mineral wealth from the Kurdish homeland and even using the money it made from Kurdish lands to pay for weapons used against Kurds.

The suppression of Kurds, their language and culture still continues. Kurds are the most hard working, most illiterate and the lowest paid people inside Turkish borders

[Anthea]

84-year-old seriously ill prisoner transferred

back to Iskenderun jail

84-year-old seriously ill prisoner Sıddık Güler has been transferred back to Iskenderun jail

84-year-old seriously ill prisoner Sıddık Güler, who was confined to a wheelchair and unable to meet his needs on his own in Menemen R Type Prison, has been transferred back to Iskenderun T Type Closed jail. The reason for the transfer, on 12 October, was that Güler did not receive a "disability report" from the Forensic Medicine Institution (ATK).

Güler, who is on the IHD's list of seriously ill prisoners, has been held in jail since 1994 due to a life sentence given for political reasons. Güler has diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

The IHD Iskenderun Branch applied to the Iskenderun Republic Chief Prosecutor's Office exposing the situation of Güler in 2020. After the application, Güler was transferred to Iskenderun State Hospital on 29 January 2021.

The Iskenderun Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, however, rejected Güler's application for a postponement of the sentence, after a report stated that "there is no harm in staying in a prison with a doctor and an infirmary". Sıddık Güler was deported to Menemen R Type Prison on 29 March 2022.

As I previously stated, Ocalan is NOT the longest serving political prisoner in Turkey

[Anthea]

Family Visits Jailed PKK Leader After Three Years

Ömer Öcalan, a member of the Turkish parliament and nephew of imprisoned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, met with his uncle on Imralı Island for the first time in more than three and a half years

The visit took place on Wednesday, October 23, as confirmed by PKK-affiliated media.

Ömer Öcalan, a prominent member of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), stated that meeting Abdullah Öcalan "is a legal right" and emphasized that such visits must continue, regardless of the political climate.

The last known communication with Abdullah Öcalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, was a brief three-minute phone call with his brother Mehmet Öcalan in March 2021. This recent visit occurs at a time when discussions of a potential new peace process in Turkey are emerging.

The meeting also coincides with recent violent incidents, including an attack on an industrial complex in Ankara that killed five people and injured 22 others. Additionally, Turkey launched airstrikes against PKK positions in the Qandil Mountains, Mount Asos near Sulaymaniyah, and other locations in the Kurdistan Region.

In an unexpected political development earlier this week, Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), suggested that Abdullah Öcalan could potentially be granted parole if he renounces violence and dissolves the PKK.

This proposal comes amid speculation that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Bahçeli’s ally, may seek support from the pro-Kurdish Democracy and Equality Party (DEM) to push through constitutional changes that could allow him to run for office again.

Abdullah Öcalan, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for leading the PKK, remains a key figure for many Kurds, despite being held in isolation on Imralı Island near Istanbul. The PKK has been in an armed conflict with the Turkish army for more than three decades over the Kurdish question in the country.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/864399

This is NOT the same Ocalan of 26 years ago when he was safely living in Syria and promising to give Kurds an Independent Northern Kurdistan on their homeland, for which THOUSANDS of Kurds fought and died

At best it is an old man who has supposedly lived under torturous conditions, isolated from the world and spent 25 years being brainwashed and is being used yet again to suppress Kurds

[Anthea]

New penalty and visit ban on Öcalan

Yet another disciplinary penalty has been imposed on Abdullah Öcalan, who is imprisoned in the Turkish high-security prison on Imrali Island

The Istanbul-based Asrin Law Office, which represents Öcalan and his three fellow prisoners, has recently applied for a visitation permit for family members. The Bursa Court of Execution responded by stating that on 16 October, a three-month disciplinary sanction had been ordered against Öcalan. No information was provided regarding the grounds for the sanction.

The law office intends to appeal the order

Abdullah Öcalan has been held incommunicado on the prison island of Imrali since his illegal abduction from Kenya to Turkey in 1999. The last contact with him was a visit by his nephew, Ömer Öcalan. The 37-year-old politician, who is a member of parliament for the DEM Party in the Turkish parliament, was able to talk to his uncle for about an hour and a half on 23 October and subsequently announced that he was in good health and sending his regards.

Previously, due to the strict ban on contact, nothing was known about his condition. During the visit, Abdullah Öcalan told his nephew that he was theoretically and practically able to contribute to a political and legal solution to the Kurdish question if given the opportunity.

Öcalan's last contact with his lawyers was in August 2019. After an eight-year interruption, a hunger strike led by the imprisoned politician Leyla Güven had resulted in a total of five visits by lawyers. Since then, the isolation in Imrali Prison has been taken to the level of total incommunicado detention.

Öcalan's three fellow prisoners Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş, who were transferred to the island prison in 2015 as part of the dialogue process, are also affected by the isolation on Imrali. Arbitrarily imposed ‘disciplinary measures’ against the Imrali prisoners serve as the legal cover for the injustice on Imrali, including the prevention of visits by lawyers and families.

In most cases, disciplinary sanctions on Imrali are justified by the ‘Roadmap for Negotiations’ written by Öcalan in 2009, which was submitted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) as a defence – but also by the bizarre argument that Öcalan ‘walks up and down in the prison yard during official sports time’. This form of sanction is renewed every three months for applications for family visits and every six months for applications for lawyer visits.

The Turkish judiciary has ordered this type of ‘punitive measure’ thirteen times since 2016, most recently last May. Contrary to European case law, repeated calls from the UN Human Rights Committee and a resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Turkish state is still not willing to end the isolation practised on Imrali.

[Anthea]

Thousands of Kurds in London demand

freedom for Abdullah Öcalan

As part of the Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan campaign, thousands of Kurds and their friends held a rally and large march in front of the BBC building in London

Kurds from Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, Liverpool, Brighton, Sheffield and Manchester in England set out by bus and private vehicles to take part in the march in front of the BBC building.

London Kurdish People's Assembly co-chair Ishak Milani said that "the captivity of Leader Öcalan is no longer acceptable to the Kurdish people or the peoples of the Middle East.

Milani said: "We have not received any news from Öcalan for 44 months."

The Turkish government had to provide PROOF OF LIFE and did so by allowing Öcalan's nephew to visit him

But as I have pointed out Öcalan is NOT the longest serving prisoner

Öcalan is an old man who has been kept in isolation for 25 years, as a gesture of good will Turkey should release him

As I watch Turkey's ever increasing suppression of Kurds, it seems to me that Turkey have no intention of easing off and is intent in destroying everything Kurdish

Prepare For The Worst But Hope For The Best