Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan given two new bans on visitation

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The Bursa Judgeship of Execution has rejected the application of the Asrın Law Office, which requested a meeting with its clients in the İmralı High Security Type F Prison, Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan and Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş.

As reported by the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the Asrın Law Office has announced that the Judgeship has cited the 6-month ban on visitation given to Öcalan on October 12 as the reason for the rejection.

In rejecting the request for a family visitation, the Judgeship of Execution has reportedly referred to the decision of the İmralı Penal Institution Directorate's Disciplinary Board, which decided on August 18 that Öcalan be "deprived of family visitations" for a 3-month period.

The Asrın Law Office has indicated that the response of the Bursa Judgeship of Execution has not given details about the bans which hinder lawyers' visitation for six months and family visitation for three months.

CLICK - Öcalan's lawyers: No news from İmralı for 8 months

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What happened?

Earlier this month, on November 24, the Asrın Law Office announced that it separately applied to the Justice Ministry, General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses and Human Rights Department, requesting that the state of receiving no information from Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners be brought to an end and a physical contact be enabled with the prisoners.

The lawyers also announced that they have applied to the Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission and requested that an on-site examination be conducted in İmralı Prison and the state of receiving no information from there be brought to an end.

Noting that they had received no news of Öcalan and their other three clients in İmralı, the lawyers had applied to the Bursa Judgeship of Execution as well. In their application dated November 22, they underlined that they did not have information about the living, health and prison conditions of their clients, their legal situation or the measures against the outbreak.

Last visitation on August 7, 2019

Held in İmralı Prison for 22 years, PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan could meet his lawyers on August 7, 2019 the last time.

Following this visitation, his lawyers have received no positive or negative response to their applications for visitation. (KÖ/SD)