HDP deputies apply to parliament to visit prisoners on Imrali

HDP deputies filed an application to pay a visit to the İmralı Prison where Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş are held in strict isolation. No news has been received from the prisoners since March 25, 2021.

The text of the application by deputies is as follows:

“Since March 25, 2021, no information has been received from Abdullah Öcalan, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş who have long been subjected to aggravated isolation in İmralı High Security F-Type Prison. Their families contacted the prisoners by the phone on March 25. The phone call with Öcalan on that day was interrupted for an unknown reason. Hamili Yıldırım’s contact remained very short, and Konar and Aktaş rejected to make phone calls to “protest the isolation”. The families have not heard from their relatives since then and stated that they were worried about their relatives’ health conditions and lives. Their lawyers applied to our commission demanding an intervention into the situation. Furthermore, the families visited our parliamentary group and expressed their concerns there as well. Therefore, it remains crucial for our commission to visit Imrali Prison in order to protect the right of communication and the right to be informed, to address the concerns of families and to eliminate the violations of rights there.”