Jailed PKK leader Öcalan’s lawyers apply to rights organizations, bar associations

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The Asrın Law Office has reiterated that it has been unable to receive any news of jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners held in İmralı Prison, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş, for the past eight months.

Accordingly, the lawyers have announced that they have applied to rights organizations and bar associations about the issue.

In a message on its Twitter account, the Asrın Law Office has requested that the rights organizations and bar associations take action to put an end to the state of receiving no news from İmralı Prison.

The lawyers have applied to the following organizations:

"Civil Society in Penal System Association (CİSST), Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD), Association for Monitoring Equal Rights (ESHİD), Truth Justice Memory Center, Human Rights Association (İHD), Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), Society and Law Studies Foundation (TOHAV), Turkish Medical Association (TTB), Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV-HRFT), Amnesty International."

Recalling that bar associations are obligated to defend the rule of law and human rights and to ensure the functioning of these notions, the lawyers have also applied to the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) and the following 28 bar associations across Turkey:

"Adana Bar Association, Adıyaman Bar Association, Ankara Bar Association, Antalya Bar Association, Batman Bar Association, Bingöl Bar Association, Bitlis Bar Association, Bursa Bar Association, Dersim Bar Association, Diyarbakır Bar Association, Edirne Bar Association, Elazığ Bar Association, Erzurum Bar Association, Eskişehir Bar Association, Antep Bar Association, Hakkari Bar Association, İstanbul Bar Association, İzmir Bar Association, Kars Bar Association, Mardin Bar Association, Mersin Bar Association, Muş Bar Association, Siirt Bar Association, Şırnak Bar Association, Urfa Bar Association, Tekirdağ Bar Association, Trabzon Bar Association, Van Bar Association."

Application to Ministry, relevant institutions

A day before, 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.

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)