Turkey submitted a new action plan to the Council of Europe (CoE) Committee of Ministers for the ‘right to hope’ monitoring process on 14 October regarding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan who is held under severe isolation in İmralı prison, Mezopotamya Agency reports.

In the plan, Turkey confimed that there is a review mechanism for the conditional release of prisoners, but went on to say that some offences are exempt from this review mechanism.

Back in 2014 the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Turkey had violated Article 3 on the prohibition of torture as regards Öcalan’s confinement.

This August, lawyers from the Asrın Law Office filed an appeal with the Council of Europe for the implementation of the ECHR ruling on the PKK leader.

The Cof E committee gave Turkey until the end of September 2022 to provide information on its plans to rectify violations of Article 3, namely via passing legislation ensuring the right to hope for all.

In response, Turkey told the committee in the action plan that “while it is possible for convicts issued aggravated life sentences to be released on parole, certain crimes have been exempted from this possibility”.

Öcalan’s isolation in İmralı Prison since 1999 is contrary to international laws.

PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan has not been allowed to meet with his family or lawyers for more than 18 months due to disciplinary penalties and visitation prohibitions.