Öcalan's Attorney Asks: Modern Prison = Proper Applications?

Hatice Korkut, joint attorney of imprisoned leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), said she saw that a new prison is being built on the island of İmralı where Öcalan is kept since 1999. However, an improvement of the conditions is more dependent on the applications than on the structure, Korkut indicated.

Korkut talked to bianet, "The European Council of the Prevention of Torture Committee (CPT) said that if the air conditioned areas, the exercise areas and the physical activities will not be improved, the health problems of our client will worsen and social isolation cannot be accepted to this extend. We receive information only via the news. We do not know what will change. We are not even sure if the conditions will be any different from conditions of F-type prisons", Korkut argued.

As reported by Hürriyet, the new prison was completed. Öcalan will be incarcerated here together with 8 people. Next to the prison a small mosque was built. 8 additional convicts will be brought to the new prison which cost $ 5 million and covers an area of 1,000 square metres. Öcalan's cell measures 7 square metres and contains a bed, a fridge and a refrigerator. When he goes out to the open air court yard, Öcalan can talk to 3 other convicts whose cells are facing the court yard. The convicts will be monitored with cameras 24 hours a day, cameras have also be installed outside the prison. The Ministry of Justice has appointed 40 new staff members to serve in the prison.

"There are more than 8 applications"

Joint attorney Korkut commented on the issue as follows:

High security prisoners will be transferred: This is a high security prison. Thus, the new convicts brought there are supposed to require high security. But we know that the number of convicts who want to be transferred next to Öcalan is higher than 8.

Extremely heavy conditions:  Even in Europe no-one was kept under such conditions for 10 years. It cannot continue like this. This is violating international conventions as well. Also minister Cemil Çiçek said that Turkey agreed to the CPT regulations. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is currently dealing with a file related to isolation.

Books are not provided: Some books can still not be brought to the prison for security reasons. For example the Journal of Strategic Studies or a book concerning women's rights and feminism are forbidden because they contain a few words in Kurdish.

We have to wait and see: We think that the prison will change in a short while. But we have to see how the conditions will change and to which extend. Our client will tell us about this as well.

Human rights: These changes concern the right of a person. But as far as Öcalan is concerned, everything is being excessively politicised and is exploited for potential votes. (TK/VK)