Ömer Öcalan: The gate of Imrali has to open

A statement by President and AKP leader Tayyip Erdogan about alleged power struggles in the Kurdish movement triggered various reactions. “The one in Edirne will have to account for the one in Imrali,” Erdogan said two weeks ago at a faction meeting of his party in Ankara. “The one in Edirne” means former HDP chairman Selahattin Demirtaş, who has been imprisoned in that city’s prison since 2016. PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan has been held in solitary confinement on the prison island of Imrali for almost 23 years.

Ömer Öcalan is a member of parliament for the HDP and Abdullah Öcalan’s nephew. He says that Erdogan is ready to do anything in order to stay in power. In Turkey there is already an electoral mood and all parties have presented their positions based on their attitude to the Kurdish question, the HDP politician told ANF. The so-called “solution phase” is inevitably associated with this topic, during which direct and indirect talks between the Turkish state, Abdullah Öcalan, an HDP delegation and PKK representatives in the Qandil Mountains took place until 2015.

In this context, the coming months will show whether Erdogan’s statement represents a strategic or tactical offensive, according to Ömer Öcalan. “If it’s about a necessary reckoning or rather self-criticism, the President and the government have to make the first move. Then, to find out what Abdullah Öcalan thinks, the gates of Imrali have to be opened. His lawyers and his family must be able to meet him.”

Öcalan points out that the Kurdish question has been an issue for over forty years and that a lot of blood has been shed during this time. Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives and the matter cannot be misused for political calculations, said the Kurdish politician, adding: “We do not accept this illegitimate handling. When asked why the solution process failed, everyone must first do an act of self-criticism. However, the duty and responsibility lies primarily with the government and Erdogan is the head of government. If sincere self-criticism occurs from this side, all other actors must also criticize themselves for their own mistakes in the solution phase. However, if Erdogan aligns his offensives with his shaky presidency, the economic crisis and his poll numbers, we find that wrong and criticize it.”

Without communication with Imrali it is all speculation

Abdullah Öcalan is in strict isolation in Imrali, his nephew emphasizes. As long as the gates of Imrali remain closed, these statements are pure speculation. “Ultimately, it is Erdogan who has maintained the isolation on Imrali for years in such a heavy form,” said Ömer Öcalan. Regarding the rumors about possible talks to take place on the prison island, the HDP deputy said: “The state or government officials can hold talks and order or lift isolation at any time. Abdullah Öcalan has been in the high-security prison of Imrali under her supervision since 15 February 1999. If talks take place, this must be confirmed by Abdullah Öcalan. Whether and what would be the object of these talks is not something we should speculate about. That would not be correct. We don’t know any more than the population does. We have no information about what is happening in Imrali. We don’t know anything about Öcalan’s health and situation. However, it looks as if this situation will be discussed further in the time to come.”

Nobody benefits from isolation

What is essential, however, is the unethical situation in which people talk about Abdullah Öcalan without granting him the right to speak, said Ömer Öcalan, adding: “Except from Abdullah Öcalan himself, everyone speaks. Some express themselves via Twitter, others in Parliament. The main problem, though, is that there is no contact with Abdullah Öcalan. He can’t make any statement, but everyone is talking about him. This is politically and legally unethical. While the Kurdish question, with its economic, political and social consequences, including deaths, arrests, bans and expulsion, continues to remain a core issue, everyone except Abdullah Öcalan can put forward their arguments. However, Öcalan is the most important person for a solution to this question. Despite this, he remains isolated from the outside world.

There is nothing Erdogan would not do to stay in power. That is precisely why this matter must be dealt with seriously. Unfortunately, everyone can comment, except Abdullah Öcalan. The fact is: there is a special Imrali regime in which Abdullah Öcalan is isolated.”

Öcalan always referred to the law

Abdullah Öcalan rejects illegal methods, something he also expressed during his phone call with his brother Mehmet Öcalan on 25 March 2021, said the HDP deputy, adding: “During this brief conversation, Abdullah Öcalan said that such a telephone call is not legally permitted. He said: You are making a mistake. He was upset and wanted his lawyers to visit him. This conversation, which was cut off after four or five minutes, was a telephone connection made by the prison warden on Imrali to the Urfa courthouse. The procedure did not correspond to the normal procedure and Abdullah Öcalan’s reaction was directed against it. He was angry and said, ‘It’s not legal, it’s not legal. I want my lawyers to come immediately. This is a serious matter and my situation is a legal one.’ He actually always spoke of justice. During the talks during the solution process, he said that there must be a legal basis for issues such as the HDP delegation’s visits to Imrali. Everyone knows what he said at the time: ‘You have to create a legal framework and have it passed in Parliament’.”

“The Kurdish political movement is as united as never before”

Ömer Öcalan emphasizes that if Erdogan’s declarations are an attempt to split the Kurdish political movement, his efforts are in vain as the movement is more united than ever before in its history.

There have often been attempts of this kind, none of which were successful, HDP deputy Ömer Öcalan said, adding: “The unity of the Kurdish political movement is greater than ever. Everyone focuses on a solution and is motivated to work for peace with dignity. We insist on democracy and, from this perspective, we have also become a democratic force in the Middle East. Statements by Erdogan or the opposition cannot change that. The CHP is now making heroes out of imprisoned friends of ours, but they themselves helped get their immunity lifted. Now they are doing the same with our MP Semra Güzel. These are cheap moves. The Kurds remain a democratic force and, more than ever, insist on democratic politics. We see the solution in democracy.”