ISTANBUL - The family and guardian of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan have applied to the Bursa Public Prosecutor's Office and the İmralı Prison Directorate with a demand for a meeting.

 

No news has been received from PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is being held in severe isolation conditions in the İmralı Type F High Security Prison, for 41 months. PKK Leader Öcalan's brother Mehmet Öcalan and his guardian Mazlum Dinç have applied to the Bursa Public Prosecutor's Office and the İmralı Prison Directorate with a demand to meet with Öcalan. Prisoners in the same prison, Ömer Hayri Konar's brother Ali Konar, Hamili Yıldırım's brother Polat Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş's sister Melihe Çetin have also applied to the prosecutor's office and the prison directorate with a demand for a meeting.

 

AT LEAST 7 TIMES FAMILY VISITING BAN DECISIONS

 

Abdullah Öcalan and 3 other prisoners held in İmralı are being prevented from seeing their families on the grounds of "disciplinary punishments". Between 2021 and 2024, Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners were given at least 7 disciplinary punishments of 3 months each, preventing them from seeing their families. The reasons for the disciplinary punishments and file numbers are not shared with their lawyers despite all applications.

 

The judgeship stated that as a result of the applications made by the lawyers of Asrın Law Firm to the Bursa Execution Judgeship, disciplinary punishments of 3 months were given on August 18, 2021, 3 months on February 3, 2022, 3 months on May 31, 2022, and 3 months on September 9, 2022. 

 

The judgeship responded to the lawyers’ application on July 10, 2023, on July 19, stating that there was a 3-month disciplinary penalty without specifying the date it was given. The court responded to the lawyers’ application to the Bursa Execution Judgeship on October 10, 2023, demanding that family visits be provided, on October 13, stating that there was a new disciplinary penalty given to Abdullah Öcalan and other prisoners. The judgeship cited “reflection in the press” as the reason for not sharing the file number that was the subject of the disciplinary penalty.

 

THE SECOND FAMILY VISITING BAN DECISION OF 2024

 

The court, responding to the application made by the lawyers to the Bursa Execution Judgeship in 2024 demanding that family visits be provided, stated that there was a new "disciplinary punishment" given to Abdullah Öcalan by the Disciplinary Board on March 28. It was learned that the decision became final on April 12. The lawyers applied for the disciplinary decision, file and evidence to be provided on April 26. However, the applications were rejected. The lawyers' objections to the "disciplinary punishment" decision were rejected on the grounds that the decision had become final.

 

After this period expired, the lawyers applied again to the Bursa Execution Judgeship demanding that family visits be provided. The judgeship responded to the application stating that family visits were banned for 3 months due to a new "disciplinary punishment" given to Abdullah Öcalan and the other 3 prisoners by the Disciplinary Board on July 4. While the information and documents requested by the lawyers regarding the file were not provided, an objection was filed against the decision.