Lawyers apply to Bursa Execution Judge to visit Imrali

Lawyers from Asrın Law Office have submitted an application to the office of Execution Judge in Bursa to visit Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan who has been held in the High Security F-Type Prison on Imrali Island since his capture as a result of an international conspiracy in 1999. Three other prisoners, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş, are also held in the island prison and are subjected to the same isolation practice.

The application comes after the families’ request to Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office was not responded to, even though the family visit ban imposed on Öcalan ended on November 18, 2021. The lawyers demanded that all unlawful obstacles to family visits be lifted.

‘OUR APPLICATIONS ARE NOT ANSWERED’

“We submitted an application to the office of Execution Judge on November 22, 2021 in order for the removal of the unlawful situations arising from the ongoing absolute isolation and for the establishment of immediate contact with our clients. In its response on the same day, the judge’s office cited the decision of the Disciplinary Board of the Imralı Penitentiary Directorate, dated 18 August 2021, to “deprive them of receiving visitors” for a period of 3 months. After the finalization of this period of time, families once again applied to Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the İmralı Prison Administration to visit their relatives. All these applications, however, were left unanswered and rejected,” the Asrın Law Office statement released on Monday said.