New disciplinary sanction for Abdullah Öcalan

On 22 November 2021, lawyers from Asrın Law Office filed an application with the Bursa Execution Judge, demanding an “urgent visit” to Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan and convicts Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım, and Veysi Aktaş.

The lawyers’ application was responded to on the same day, and it was revealed that Abdullah Öcalan had received two further sanctions. The application for a lawyer’s visit was denied by the Bursa Execution Judgeship, citing the court’s 6-month ban on Ocalan issued on 12 October. The judgeship presented the Disciplinary Board of the İmralı Penitentiary Directorate’s 18 August order of “deprivation of visitors” for a period of three months in its rejection decision about the family visit.

The ban on family visits expired on 18 November 2021, but because the families’ applications to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office received no response, the lawyers applied to the Bursa Execution Judge on 28 March to eliminate all unlawful obstacles to family visits and requested family visits.

APPLICATION REJECTED: THERE IS A NEW DISCIPLINARY SANCTION

According to Mezsopotamya Agency, the judgeship, which reacted to the lawyers’ application on 29 March, rejected the application. The judge justified his rejection by claiming that Abdullah Öcalan had received a new disciplinary sanction, and hence the meeting could not take place.

 It was stated in the judgeship’s denial order, “The request was rejected on the grounds that all applicants were deprived of family visits for 3 months as a disciplinary penalty on 3 February 2022 by the Presidency of the Imrali Disciplinary Board, and it has been finalised on 21 February.”

The application was denied, making it the tenth disciplinary punishment for preventing family views since 2018.

After the applications were denied, the lawyers of Asrın Law Office filed an appeal against the Court of Execution’s decision and the disciplinary sanction.