PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan given new 3-month family visit ban

Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has been issued a new three-month family visit ban. Öcalan, who has been held in the İmralı island prison in the Sea of Marmara since 1999, has not been allowed to meet with his family or lawyers for the past 40 months. His last contact with the outside world was a disrupted phone call with his brother in 2021.

According to a report from the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the Bursa Judgeship of Penal Enforcement responded to a request from Öcalan's lawyers for family visitation. The court indicated that a new "disciplinary penalty" had been imposed on July 4 by the Disciplinary Board Presidency. This penalty also affects three other prisoners at the island prison: Hamili Yıldırım, Ömer Hayri Konar, and Veysi Aktaş.

The court did not provide any details regarding the reasons for the disciplinary measure. Additionally, requests from Öcalan's lawyers for information and documentation related to the case were denied. The lawyers plan to appeal the disciplinary decision at the Bursa Heavy Penal Court.

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) announced in a statement on October 3 that İmralı High Security F-Type Closed Prison was among the institutions visited during their September 20-29 trip to Turkey.

The last contact with Öcalan

Since a 4.5-minute interrupted phone call with his brother Mehmet Öcalan on March 25, 2021, there has been no contact with Abdullah Öcalan. This call marked only the second time Öcalan had limited use of his legal right to a phone call in his 25 years of imprisonment.

During the call, Öcalan criticized the authorities, saying, "What you are doing is very wrong. Both the state and you are acting incorrectly. This is neither legal nor right. It is completely unacceptable and very dangerous. Do you understand what you are doing? I want my lawyers to come here and meet with me. This is a legal matter. I have been here for 22 years. How will this issue be resolved in the future? It can only be resolved through legal means. Why aren't they coming here? If there is to be a meeting, it should be with my lawyers because this situation is both political and legal."

The last meeting between Öcalan and his lawyers from the Asrın Law Office took place on August 7, 2019. Between 2011 and 2020, Öcalan's family submitted 385 visitation requests, of which only 29 were granted. (EMK/VK)