NEWS CENTER - Honorary President of the İHD, Akın Birdal, stated that the isolation imposed on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan is a "human rights issue" and underlined that the isolation should be ended and Imrali should be closed.

 

At the 72nd anniversary of the adoption of The United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948, there are immense amounts of violations of rights in Turkey. One of the most important of these violations, is the absolute isolation imposed on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is being held in İmralı Type F High Security Prison for the last 21 years. Prisoners demanding an end to the continued isolation, have started a indefinite and rotating hunger strike on November 27.

 

Human Rights Association (IHD) Honorary President Akin Birdal evaluated these violations, the attitude of the ECtHR (AIHM), the President's statements about judicial reform, the Kurdish question and the isolation in İmralı.

 

ECtHR REMAINS SILENT

 

Criticizing the ECtHR's attitude towards human rights, Birdal said: "ECtHR is merely a spectator regarding the violations of rights in Turkey. Take the isolation in İmralı. CPT hasn't been visiting the İmralı prison for a long time and even when they come, they do not share their report with the public or the European democratic public opinion.  In other words, the fact that international control mechanisms are not deterrent, encourages those states in terms of rights violations.

 

REFORM STATEMENTS

 

Birdal stated that under these circumstances, hostility is running rampant in Turkey. Birdal said: "The hostility against the Kurdish community..Our human's rights foundation has a daily bullettin, and be sure of that, reading that bullettin is painful. There are people being detained and arrested in Amed, Hakkari, Şırnak, Siirt, Muş and Van on a daily basis.After the President mentioned a judicial reform two weeks ago, almost a thousand executives, district and provincial co-chairs were detained. They are being arrested, all Kurdish politicians are behind bars but despite all this, they can not silence the rightful demands of the Kurds."

 

'EVERYONE SHOULD BE A LITTLE KURDISH'

 

Birdal who emphasized that everybody should show some empathy and be a little Kurdish in order to end the hostility against the Kurds, said: "I think everyone should show a little emphaty and be a little Kurdish in order to end this hostility. Everyone should be in their shoes for a solution to these violations of rights. We need more courage and struggle. There were 57 thousand prisoners when AKP came to power. Now there are 287 thousand prisoners and at least one thousand of it are sick prisoners. If there will be a social peace and there will be a reform in justice, right defenders, journalists, politicians and lawyers must immediately be released."

 

ISOLATION IN IMRALI 

 

Describing the isolation imposed upon PKK Leader Öcalan as a “human rights issue”, Birdal said, “From the very beginning, we have stated that isolation is a human rights issue, a justice issue, a legal issue, and most importantly, a Kurdish people issue. The hunger strikes and death fasts were ended in 2019, with Mr. Öcalan's meeting with his lawyers. But after that, they still cannot meet their families and lawyers. Well, isn't this a problem of international legal institutions and the international community? Isn't it the CPT's problem? Isn't it the problem of the Turkish Grand National Assembly? Or is it not a problem for legal institutions? Is it just the problem of the Kurds or the families of those in Imrali? No, it's everybody's problem, because it's an issue of democracy and an issue of peace. For this reason, we want the isolation to end and Imrali to be closed ”.

 

 MA / Mehmet Ali Ertaş