The isolation of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held in İmralı Type F High Security Prison for 26 years under heavy isolation conditions, continues. On 23 October, for the first time after 43 months of absolute incommunication, Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Urfa MP Ömer Öcalan held a family meeting with Abdullah Öcalan. Abdullah Öcalan emphasised in his message that the isolation continues.

 

The Justice Against Isolation Initiative, which was declared on 5 September by a group of intellectuals, writers, socialists and human rights defenders from Kurdistan and Turkey in order to draw attention to the isolation policy, continues to work. 

 

Lawyer Eren Keskin, Co-Chair of the Human Rights Association (IHD) and member of the initiative that will organise a meeting in Istanbul in the coming days, including a presentation of their work, made evaluations to Mezopotamya Agency about their work. 

 

Eren Keskin stated that Turkey switched to the isolation system with the operation called ‘Return to Life’ in prisons on 19 December 2000, and said that as human rights defenders, they have been explaining that isolation is a form of torture with the struggle they have been waging for many years. 

 

VIOLATIONS CAUSED BY THE ISOLATION SYSTEM

 

Eren Keskin stated that prison is a punishment system in itself and that people are isolated from the society, and that a second isolation is applied inside the prison, which means isolation. Pointing out that this situation is torture, "Currently, the isolation system is being applied in all prisons in Turkey and in our geography, especially in İmralı Prison. There are many violations of rights caused by this isolation system. As İHD, we follow all of them" said Eren Keskin. 

 

Reminding that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in 2014 that Abdullah Öcalan's "right to hope" is violated, Eren Keskin stated that the unlawfulness in İmralı Prison has been continuing since 1999 and that there has not been enough effort at the international level until today. 

 

ISOLATION AND SOLUTION

 

Stating that the Justice Against Isolation Initiative has held many meetings on this issue, Eren Keskin said that these meetings were on the basis of individuals and organisations and continued her words as follows: "The problem here is this; Those who call themselves opponents in this geography are only interested in some areas of violation. However, the isolation in İmralı is a situation related to the entire Kurdish issue. When you talk about isolation, you are not only talking about isolation in a prison, but also about the policy of non-solution in the Kurdish issue. While those who define themselves as opposition groups talk about solving the Kurdish issue, they do not talk about the isolation in İmralı. The aim of the Initiative is partly to explain that the isolation is linked to the Kurdish issue as a whole. We want to say to many circles that if you want democratisation and a solution to the Kurdish issue in this geography, you have to deal with this issue as well."

 

‘ISOLATION MUST BE SPOKEN WITHOUT FEAR’

 

Eren Keskin stated that isolation has entered the agenda of the society and that this issue has been discussed more after Devlet Bahçeli's statements and said: ‘It was necessary for Devlet Bahçeli to speak about this issue for the CHP to speak about it. If the CHP was a real main opposition party, it should have raised the issue before Devlet Bahçeli. If the Kurdish issue is to be resolved, it must be discussed without fear. It seems quite likely that a delegation will go to İmralı. Although we are under threat, we have formed such an initiative as those who want this issue to be resolved.’ 

 

Emphasising that what the Initiative will do in the coming days depends on the developments, Eren Keskin said that the Initiative will continue its work if the isolation continues.

 

Stating that the Kurdish issue has become an international issue, Eren Keskin finally said the following: "The Kurdish issue does not only concern the geography we live in. It is not only an issue between Kurds and Turks, Kurds and Syrians, Kurds and Iraq or Kurds and Iran. It is a situation in which all sovereign and imperialist states are also involved. The lack of a solution to the problems in the geography we live in concerns both the conflict in Syria and the isolation in İmralı. If a solution policy develops in the geography we live in, this will relieve Kurds in all geographies.’