Öcalan’s lawyers call on UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to take “urgent action”

According to Mezopotamya news agency (MA), the lawyers of Asrın Law Office, on 3 February, demanded the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Torture to take “urgent action” for Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan and the other prisoners in Imralı, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş.

Stating that they have not heard from their clients since 25 March, the lawyers in their request listed the applications they made during this time.

In their application to the UN, the lawyers included the previous visits of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to Imrali and its findings.

Reminding the previous decisions of the UN Human Rights Committee, the lawyers recalled articles 7 and 10 of the UN Convention on Civil Rights, which regulate the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, and called on the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for “urgent action”.

Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held in severe isolation in Imrali High Security F-Type Prison since he was abducted as a result of an international conspiracy in 1999.

Abdullah Öcalan last spoke a few minutes on the phone with his brother on 25 March.

His lawyers were able to meet with their client on May 2-22, June 12-18 and August 7, 2019, after 8 years. Since 7 August 2019, all applications have been left unanswered.

It was revealed that two new punishments were given to Abdullah Öcalan after the lawyers applied for an “immediate meeting” to the Bursa Criminal Execution Judge on 22 November. The Bursa Execution Judgeship rejected the application, citing the 6-month ban on Ocalan given by the court on October 12 as a reason.

While rejecting the application of the families to meet, the same Judge’s Office cited the decision of the Disciplinary Board of the Imralı Penitentiary Directorate, dated August 18, to “deprive them of receiving visitors” for a period of 3 months.