Visits İmralı after 4 years: If I could express what I felt in that one hour it would be a book 

2019-06-06 17:59:10


	İSTANBUL - Families of the prisoners that were taken to İmralı as 'secretariat' during the solution process, was able to see their relatives in İmralı after 4 years. Sabiha Aslan who visited her brother Veysi Aktaş after all these years, said: "If I could express what I felt in that one hour, it would be a book."

	Relatives of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Ömer Hayri Konar who are being kept in İmralı High Security Type F Prison, was allowed to visit their relatives on June 5, the second day of the ramadab Feast. Ömer Hayri Konar and Veysi Aktaş who were brought to İmralı as 'secretariat' from the prisons they were being kept during the solution process was not allowed any visiters since March 15, 2015 while Hamili Yıldırım was not allowed any visiters since July 15, 2015.

	 

	While the families were not allowed to see their relatives because of the isolation policy, Öcalan was allowed to be visited by his brother Mehmet Öcalan on January 12. when the hunger strikers decided not to stop their action stating that visiting him once did not mean the isolation is over, Öcalan's attorneys were able to visit him twice, on May 2 and May 22, and as a result of the visit, Öcalan sent a message and the hunger strike action ended on May 26.

	 

	Konar, Aktaş and Yıldırım was able to see their families for the first time after the hunger strikes were called off.

	 

	Sabiha Aslan, sister of Veysi Aktaş told about her visit to İmralı to MA.

	 

	THERE WERE A LOT OF CHECK POINTS

	 

	Aslan who stated that unlike other prisons, on the way to Imrali, they met with intense security measures, said they were stopped at too many check points.

	 

	Aslan said: "If I am not mistaken, we have gone through 6-7 searches. Of course there is a return. In total, we passed through searches 12-13 times. There were a lot of body searches, we had to sign a lot of documents. The security was intense.

	 

	Aslan who shared the information that they were able to visit their relatives in different rooms after these searches, said she wasn't able to see Öcalan, Yıldırım and Konar.Aslan said the visit took an hour.

	 

	'HE ASKED WHO WAS DEAD AND WHO WAS STILL ALIVE'

	 

	Aslan who stated that her brother came into the room smiling, said: "I hugged him. I didn't know what to do. I was constantly kissing his hands and face. I was feeling very strange. I hugged him when he came in and I hugged him while he was leaving."

	 

	Aslan who stated that due to the passing years, they talked about their family, said: "We weren't able to see each other for 4 years. We talked about our family the most.  He asked me who was dead and who was still alive when he first walked in the door. 4 years is not a short time. I told him that our grandmother have passed away. He said 'When? Years ago or months ago?' I said it hadn't been a year. He said 'Ah!'.

	 

	'IF YOU CAN EVER COME AGAIN, BRING THE CHILDREN'

	 

	Aslan said because it was her first time at the island she did not know what to say. Aslan said her brother told him 'I don't know if you can ever come back here, this might be the last time, or we can continue seeing each other'. Aslan continued: "He told me to bring the children if I can ever come back. He asked me if they grew up. He told me he wished I could bring Sarya. Sarya is my daughter. I didn't know if they would let me so I didn't bring her with me."

	 

	Aslan who shared the information that her brother was healthy and his morale was high, said: "He told me that the dampness bothered them a bit and that they did not have any other problems. He gained some weight. He said that was because he quit smoking."

	 

	Aslan finally said: "I can't possibly express how I feel. It a heavy feeling, a burden and a joy. If I was able to express my feelings in that one hour it would be a book. I still can't shake it off."