Despite the speculation by a columnist that "a visit will be allowed", the doors of the Imrali F-Type High Security Prison, where Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Ocalan is kept in isolation, were not opened even on the Feast of Sacrifice. Abdullah Öcalan's brother, Mehmet Öcalan, whose name was given in the article as the relative who could meet the Kurdish people’s leader, reacted to these systematic unlawfulness and distraction tactics, saying: "I have no expectations from this state and its law."

Öcalan, who had a short phone call with his brother on 25 March 2021, spoke to ANF.

Reminding that he had not heard from his brother for more than a year, Öcalan stated that the applications made by lawyers and families were rejected with the excuse of "disciplinary punishment". Emphasizing that he had no words about this unlawfulness, Öcalan said: “A person can be convicted or imprisoned. But they have rights according to Turkish law. Anyone can talk to their family and lawyers. But when it comes to Imrali, this right is ignored.”

‘This situation goes beyond isolation, we need another definition!’

Reminding that this illegal practice was not only applied to his brother, but also to the other prisoners, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş, Öcalan said: “4 people have not been allowed to meet with their families, relatives or lawyers for years. According to Turkish law, this is not an acceptable situation. What Abdülkadir Selvi wrote or did not write, is not so important to me anymore. They are arguing and talking among themselves, but nothing happens. I look at it. Frankly, I have no expectations from this state or its laws. We have not been able to see our relatives since 3 March 2020. The last time I had some kind of communication, I was able to talk to Abdullah Öcalan for only 5 minutes. It's called isolation, but I think we are now facing a situation that has gone beyond isolation. Another definition needs to be found. The Republic of Turkey needs to find another name for it. Because what we are facing is legislation ad personam. This practice has nothing to do with the law, it is a purely political practice and the political part belongs to them.”

'Everyone should be treated equally in front of the law'

Öcalan said he defends democracy and reacted to other political parties that remained silent in the face of this lawlessness, saying that these parties, which have something to say about everything, could not say a word about the ongoing unlawfulness in Imrali. Underlining that they expect and want the law in Turkey to be applied equally to everyone, Öcalan said: “We want to act on legal grounds, not rumors. We want our legal and democratic rights to be given to us.”

No news for more than one year

Abdullah Öcalan, who has been in solitary confinement for 23 years in İmralı F-Type High Security Prison, last met with Asrın Law Office's lawyers on 7 August 2019, and his brother had a short phone call on 25 March 2021. The applications made by Abdullah Öcalan's family and lawyers are rejected on the grounds of the disciplinary punishments given every 6 months.

775 lawyers, including 29 bar associations, took action against this unlawfulness and started a petition. The lawyers of the Lawyers for Freedom Association applied to the Ministry of Justice on 10 and 17 June against the lawyer’s ban given to Abdullah Öcalan. However, the ministry has not yet received a response to this application.