International Initiative- “Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan–Peace in Kurdistan”7th December 2009-About us- On the 15th of February, 1999, the President of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Abdullah Ocalan, was handed over to the Republic of Turkey following a clandestine operation backed by an alliance of secret services directed by their corresponding governments.
Disgusted by this outrageous violation of international law several intellectuals and representatives of civil organisations launched an initiative for the release of Abdullah Ocalan. With the opening of a central coordination office in March 1999 the “International Initiative Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan – Peace in Kurdistan” started its work.
The International Initiative regards itself as a multi-national peace initiative working for a peaceful and democratic solution of the Kurdish question with Kurds and Turks peacefully living together. Even after his imprisonment Abdullah Ocalan is still regarded as the undisputed leader by a majority of the Kurdish people. Hence it seems reasonable to assume that the solution of the Kurdish question in Turkey will be closely linked to his fate in the future. Many Kurds see him as a safeguard for peace and democratisation. Therefore the Ocalan case needs a feasible perspective for a solution. The International Initiative is committed to play its part by intense lobbying and public relations work. Regular publishing and a balanced policy towards the public are a central part of its work.
About this document
With our series “International Initiative Analysis” we provide insight into topics regarding the Kurdish issue, human rights developments in Turkey and the Middle East and the situation of Abdullah Ocalan.
Turkey crossed the Rubicon
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. ” (European Convention on Human Rights, Article 3) “The Turkish authorities are now at a crossroads [...] The CPT is firmly convinced that, whatever the circumstances, there can be no justification for keeping a prisoner in such conditions of isolation for eight and a half years.” (CPT, report on Öcalan’s prison conditions, published in 2008)
Introduction
While our previous report’s title (“Turkey at the crossroads”) was a quote from CPT’s latest report on Abdullah Ocalan’s imprisonment conditions, we are now confronted with a different situation. The Turkish government has made its choice and crossed the Rubicon. Instead of choosing to improve the imprisonment conditions of the Kurdish leader and thus sending an important signal for peace and reconciliation, they aggravated the prison regime even further leading especially to the worsening of his physical and health conditions.
In the first part of this analysis we aim to give some insight into the new prison conditions of Abdullah Ocalan as of 17 November 2009 which triggered major protests in Kurdistan, Turkey and abroad. The second part deals with the role of Council of Europe’s anti-torture watchdog CPT which has played a major role in shaping the conditions Ocalan is held under. CPT is the only independent institutions that has had access to Imrali prison during the past 11 years and
is considered effective in battling torture Europe-wide. In the case of Imrali prison however, the CPT experience has led to rather few results and taken a tragic turn in 2009.
The Imrali system
On 17 November 2009 several changes have occurred at Imrali prison. Explained to the international public as “improvements”, these changes actually constitute a major worsening of the conditions in this special prison. To understand the overall situation of Imrali and to assess better what has changed and what hasn’t, this section will explain the system of restrictions, security measures and legal exceptions that has become infamous as the “Imrali system”.
The island
The prison island Imrali has been used as a half-open prison until February 15th, 1999. Since that day, it has been changed into a unique, maximum security prison with only one single inmate: Abdullah Ocalan. Five miles around the island and the airspace above have been declared a military zone to which any civil access is prohibited. Almost 1000 soldiers are deployed to guard the prisoner. This “maximum security prison” type did not exist before and its status was legalised
only retroactively.
The island of Imrali has been chosen especially because it is easy to isolate completely, the consultation with his lawyers and the visits of his family can be prevented under various pretexts, furthermore it is possible to extend the negative imprisonment conditions up to the present day. These are some of the reasons why Imrali has been chosen.
The full text
Disgusted by this outrageous violation of international law several intellectuals and representatives of civil organisations launched an initiative for the release of Abdullah Ocalan. With the opening of a central coordination office in March 1999 the “International Initiative Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan – Peace in Kurdistan” started its work.
The International Initiative regards itself as a multi-national peace initiative working for a peaceful and democratic solution of the Kurdish question with Kurds and Turks peacefully living together. Even after his imprisonment Abdullah Ocalan is still regarded as the undisputed leader by a majority of the Kurdish people. Hence it seems reasonable to assume that the solution of the Kurdish question in Turkey will be closely linked to his fate in the future. Many Kurds see him as a safeguard for peace and democratisation. Therefore the Ocalan case needs a feasible perspective for a solution. The International Initiative is committed to play its part by intense lobbying and public relations work. Regular publishing and a balanced policy towards the public are a central part of its work.
About this document
With our series “International Initiative Analysis” we provide insight into topics regarding the Kurdish issue, human rights developments in Turkey and the Middle East and the situation of Abdullah Ocalan.
Turkey crossed the Rubicon
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. ” (European Convention on Human Rights, Article 3) “The Turkish authorities are now at a crossroads [...] The CPT is firmly convinced that, whatever the circumstances, there can be no justification for keeping a prisoner in such conditions of isolation for eight and a half years.” (CPT, report on Öcalan’s prison conditions, published in 2008)
Introduction
While our previous report’s title (“Turkey at the crossroads”) was a quote from CPT’s latest report on Abdullah Ocalan’s imprisonment conditions, we are now confronted with a different situation. The Turkish government has made its choice and crossed the Rubicon. Instead of choosing to improve the imprisonment conditions of the Kurdish leader and thus sending an important signal for peace and reconciliation, they aggravated the prison regime even further leading especially to the worsening of his physical and health conditions.
In the first part of this analysis we aim to give some insight into the new prison conditions of Abdullah Ocalan as of 17 November 2009 which triggered major protests in Kurdistan, Turkey and abroad. The second part deals with the role of Council of Europe’s anti-torture watchdog CPT which has played a major role in shaping the conditions Ocalan is held under. CPT is the only independent institutions that has had access to Imrali prison during the past 11 years and
is considered effective in battling torture Europe-wide. In the case of Imrali prison however, the CPT experience has led to rather few results and taken a tragic turn in 2009.
The Imrali system
On 17 November 2009 several changes have occurred at Imrali prison. Explained to the international public as “improvements”, these changes actually constitute a major worsening of the conditions in this special prison. To understand the overall situation of Imrali and to assess better what has changed and what hasn’t, this section will explain the system of restrictions, security measures and legal exceptions that has become infamous as the “Imrali system”.
The island
The prison island Imrali has been used as a half-open prison until February 15th, 1999. Since that day, it has been changed into a unique, maximum security prison with only one single inmate: Abdullah Ocalan. Five miles around the island and the airspace above have been declared a military zone to which any civil access is prohibited. Almost 1000 soldiers are deployed to guard the prisoner. This “maximum security prison” type did not exist before and its status was legalised
only retroactively.
The island of Imrali has been chosen especially because it is easy to isolate completely, the consultation with his lawyers and the visits of his family can be prevented under various pretexts, furthermore it is possible to extend the negative imprisonment conditions up to the present day. These are some of the reasons why Imrali has been chosen.
The full text
