PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held under severe isolation in İmralı Type F High Security Closed Prison since he was brought to Turkey on February 15, 1999 as a result of an international conspiracy. Although family and lawyer visits have been allowed from time to time, the aggravated isolation in İmralı has worsened every year. 

 

The year 2024 was also a year in which the isolation continued in a severe manner. Abdullah Öcalan had not been heard from since his phone call with his brother on March 25, 2021. After an interval of 4 years, Abdullah Öcalan had a face-to-face family meeting with his nephew Ömer Öcalan on October 23, 2024. Abdullah Öcalan underlined that the isolation still continues. 

 

MESSAGE GIVEN IN THE LAST MEETING 

 

Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (Dem Party) MPs Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan also met with Abdullah Öcalan in İmralu on December 28. Abdullah Öcalan emphasized that strengthening the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood again is of decisive importance for all peoples and said: "I am ready to take the necessary positive step and make the necesarry call. This is the era of peace, democracy and brotherhood for Turkey and the region."

,

AT LEAST 164 APPLICATIONS UNANSWERED

 

The applications made by Asrin Law Office, which represents Abdullah Öcalan, to Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and İmralı Prison continued throughout the year. Between November 1, 2023 and November 2024, the Office made 109 lawyer visit applications and 55 family visit applications. 164 applications were left unanswered. 

 

DEMAND FOR 'FREEDOM' FROM ALL FOUR SIDES 

 

Millions of people from all over the world stood up throughout the year for an end to the "incommunicado" situation.

 

The campaign, which was launched on October 10, 2023 for the lifting of the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan, his physical freedom and a solution to the Kurdish issue, continued this year with various actions and events. Within the scope of the campaign led by many writers, journalists, politicians, artists and human rights activists, Abdullah Öcalan's ideas were discussed intensively on the streets, in universities and in some well-known centers of the world. In addition, mass actions and events such as rallies attended by millions of people shouted for Abdullah Öcalan's freedom. 

 

ACTIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR 

 

January 7: Artists and writers in Amed (Diyarbakır), who announced a declaration titled “Let's be a Voice for Peace”, pointed out that isolation and war policies deepen social crises and said, “We should not be afraid to establish dialogue and talk. They should be courageous for social peace. The government should give up its policies of oppression, isolation and war.” 

 

January 8: Postcards started to be sent to İmralı from European cities. As part of the “100 thousand cards to İmralı” campaign, cards were sent to İmralı Prison throughout the year. 

 

January 22: 1,330 lawyers from 35 bar associations applied to the Ministry of Justice for a meeting with Abdullah Öcalan. In a statement made in front of Diyarbakır Courthouse, it was emphasized that Abdullah Öcalan and prisoners Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş in İmralı were prevented from meeting with their lawyers in violation of the law.  

 

January 23: Executives of the ESP Istanbul Provincial Organization staged a 3-day hunger strike against the İmralı isolation.

 

January 30: Families taking part in the Justice Watch called on Parliament to take steps to lift the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and ensure his physical freedom.  

 

THE GREAT FREEDOM MARCH

 

February 1st: The “Great Freedom March” was launched from Wan (Van) and Qers (Kars). The marchers traveled from province to province, district to district, village to village and were welcomed with great enthusiasm everywhere they went. Simultaneously, a 3-day hunger strike was launched in many centers in Europe.  

 

February 2: A large-scale solidarity march was organized in Berlin, Germany. 

 

February 9: The French newspaper L'Humanité headlines a declaration by 61 individuals and collectives entitled “Kurdistan: the solution is political!”. 

 

February 10: A petition for Abdullah Öcalan's physical freedom is launched in Aleppo. 

 

February 15: Politicians and representatives of civil society organizations participating in the “Great Freedom March” reached Amara. On the last day of the march, the message was “We will struggle until Öcalan's voice reaches everyone and the Kurdish issue is solved”. 

 

February 16: The European Union Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) organized an event at the European Parliament (EP) entitled “Political prisoners in Turkey: Where does the path to freedom and peace lead”, the conference emphasized the need for Abdullah Öcalan to be free.

 

February 17: A march and rally was organized in Cologne, Germany with the participation of hundreds of thousands of people. Many internationalist groups from 7 different countries participated in the march and rally. 

 

February 22: Young people entered the CPT building in Strasbourg, France and carried out an act of civil disobedience.

 

March 1: The second phase of the campaign was launched. A press conference was held in Cologne and the calendar of actions to be organized as part of the campaign was announced. 

 

March 8-March 24: Millions participated in International Women's Day and Newroz events in Kurdistan and around the world. The demand for Abdullah Öcalan's freedom dominated these actions and events. 

 

April 4: “The time has come for Abdullah Öcalan's physical freedom” was the message of the ‘To Amara for Freedom’ march launched on the occasion of Abdullah Öcalan's 75th birthday. On November 27, 2023, prisoners went on hunger strike and on April 4, they took their hunger strike to the next level. Prisoners boycotted the courts and decided not to make phone calls and family visits. This action of the prisoners ended on July 3, 2024. 

 

April 6-16: A march was organized in Switzerland on April 6 to mark Abdullah Öcalan's 75th birthday. On April 13, rallies were organized in Mannheim, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark to condemn the silence of European countries against the isolation of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. On April 15, a rally was held in front of the Council of Europe to protest against the Council of Europe and the CPT. 

 

April 16: 91 institutions and individuals sent a letter to CPT President Dr. Alan Mitchell to take action against the isolation and send a delegation to İmralı. 

 

April 17: PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan's family and lawyers discussed the İmralı isolation with Council of Europe officials.

 

April 18: Öcalan's family and lawyers met with CPT officials who maintained their silence on the İmralı isolation. They demanded that the CPT release its reports and visit İmralı. Abdullah Öcalan's conditions in prison were also explained.

 

May 6: Relatives of prisoners launched the “Speak up for freedom” demonstration in 6 provinces to raise the voices of prisoners protesting for the freedom of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan. 

 

May 8: Relatives of prisoners went to Ankara to meet with the Ministry of Justice. The relatives of the prisoners were prevented from meeting with the Ministry of Justice and said: “There is isolation even if you don't accept it. We have come to demand an end to isolation.”  

 

OPEN LETTER FROM THINKERS

 

8 May: Peace in Kurdistan, wrote a joint letter calling for the CPT to send a delegation to İmralı Prison. Linguist Noam Chomsky, former Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, Simon Dubbins from Unite the Union, Britain's largest trade union organisation, Prof. Dr. Michael Gunter, Prof. Dr. Bill Bowring, Prof. Dr. Mary Davis, SNP MP Chris Stephens, Shin Fein MP Chris Hazzard, Mickey Brady, Labour MPs Kate Osamar, John McDonnell, and dozens of academics, trade unionists, writers and journalists signed the letter.

 

10 May: Relatives of prisoners started protests in front of AKP provincial buildings in Wan, Adana and Mersin with the call "End isolation".

 

14 May: 27 MPs and senators in Spain sent a letter to the CPT to send a delegation to İmralı.

 

19 May: Kurdish youth organised a march in Marseille and said "No one can call themselves free until Öcalan is physically free".

 

25 May: TJA (Free Women Movement-Tevgera Jinên Azad) launched "Truth Readings" events in Kurdistan and Turkish cities with compilations from Abdullah Öcalan's books, demanding "Freedom".

 

29 May: Mothers who travelled from Wan to Ankara to meet with Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç to protest against the isolation in İmralı, threw their white scarves on the ground and demanded that their voices be heard.

 

IMRALI APPEAL BY INTELLECTUALS AND WRITERS

 

3 June: 95 intellectuals and writers from Germany wrote a letter to the CPT demanding that a delegation be sent immediately to meet with Öcalan and obtain information about his health.

 

7 June: Drawing attention to the isolation in France, 61 people including senators, parliamentarians, academics and political party leaders called on the CPT to "send a delegation to İmralı".

 

25 June: Mass protests were organised on the 12th anniversary of the "Freedom for Öcalan" vigil in front of the CPT. They called on the CPT to fulfil its responsibilities.

 

1 July: A mass press statement was held in the UK with the participation of international human rights organisations.

 

2 July:  Peace Mothers protested the isolation in the Parliament.

 

4 July: The Paris Bar Association sent a letter of protest to the Ministry of Justice condemning the prevention of the right to defence of Abdullah Öcalan and the prisoners in İmralı.

 

INITIATIVES OF NOBEL LAUREATES

 

26 July: 69 Nobel laureates sent a letter to international organizations and AKP Chair and President Erdoğan against the isolation in İmralı. "We demand the release of Öcalan from İmralı and the resumption of the suspended negotiations," the letter said. Among the signatories were Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Betty Williams, Desmond Tutu, F. W. De Klerk, Jody Williams, José Ramos-Horta, Leymah Roberta Gbowee, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi and Orhan Pamuk.

 

31 July: Civil society organizations notified the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which is considering whether to implement the ECtHR's "violation" verdict on Abdullah Öcalan.

 

7 August: Australian Green Party MP Abigail Boyd brought the absolute isolation of Abdullah Öcalan to the parliamentary agenda and asked the government to play a role in the solution.

 

10 August: A three-day sit-in was organised in front of the Ontario Parliament building in Toronto, Canada.

 

14 August: The Syrian Initiative for the Freedom of Syrian Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the Abdullah Öcalan Academy of Social Sciences organised a workshop at Rojava University in Qamishlo with the theme "The isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and the prevention of his democratic and social ideas".

 

21 August: "Freedom readings" were launched in many provinces of Kurdistan.

 

24 August: In the Swiss canton of Ticino, Kurdish people and friends came together to protest against the isolation.

 

24 August: "Arab Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Öcalan" organized a panel discussion in Cairo, Egypt.

 

31 August: Kurdish and internationalist youth started an 8-kilometre march in Lausanne, Switzerland. The march was completed with a rally in front of the United Nations (UN) building in the center of Geneva.

 

1 September: On the occasion of the World Peace Day on 1 September, isolation was protested in Turkey, Kurdistan and all over the world.

 

2 September: TJK-E launched the campaign "Tîrêjên Rojê (Rays of the Sun)", marking the beginning of a new phase to expose the isolation policy everywhere.

 

7 September: With the call of the Democratic Kurdish Council of France (CDK-F) and the Kurdish Women's Movement of France (TJK-F), a mass rally was held in Paris, France.

 

7 September: In Düsseldorf, Germany, young people reacted to the isolation with a march and shouted for Öcalan's freedom.

 

11 September: A series of events were organised in North and East Syria for Öcalan's freedom.

 

12 September: Events were organised in different cities of Italy under the slogan "Time for Hope". A panel and a concert were organised in Milan.

 

15 September: Kurdistan and internationalist youth gathered in Biefeld, Germany and started a 5-day long march.

 

15 September: A march was organised in Strasbourg, France as part of the 'Tîrêjên Rojê' campaign.

 

21 September: At the 32nd International Kurdish Culture Festival, reaction to the isolation was shown and "freedom for Öcalan" was demanded.

 

MASS ACTION IN AMED

 

9 October: On the anniversary of the start of the international conspiracy against Abdullah Öcalan, mass statements were made in Şirnex (Şırnak), Adana, Mersin, Mûş (Muş), Agirî (Ağrı), Colemêrg (Hakkari), Erzirom (Erzurum) and Êlih (Batman) as well as in many other centers. The conspiracy was protested in Kurdistan and Turkey as well as in many other countries.

 

13 October: Thousands of people from different cities travelled to Amed (Diyarbakır) to participate in the demonstration "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, solution to the Kurdish issue". Citizens reached Amed by walking for kilometres despite police obstructions. Protests were organised at various points in the city throughout the day due to the police barrier. Thousands of people overcame the police barrier and met in Ofis neighbourhood.

 

16 November: Hundreds of thousands took to the streets once again in Cologne, Germany. Kurds and their friends organized a big rally after a 3 kilometre march. The crowd of the rally was widely covered in the world press.

 

25 November: The Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was marked by anger against the İmralı isolation.

 

2-3 December: An international delegation of journalists, parliamentarians and representatives of political parties arrived in Turkey to get information about the situation of Abdullah Öcalan. The delegation visited Asrin Law Office and ÖHD on the first day and met with DEM Party MPs in Ankara on 3 December. The delegation then applied to the Ministry of Justice for a meeting with Abdullah Öcalan.

 

MARCH TO ANKARA

 

14 December:  Intellectuals and writers made a statement on the solution of the Kurdish issue: "We call for the urgent steps necessary for the start of a peace and democracy process."

 

16 December: "Democratic Solution and Freedom March" was launched from Amed to Ankara under the leadership of the Democratic Institutions Platform.

 

MA / Ömer İbrahimoğlu