Imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan

Imprisonment of the leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party in Turkey

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|

Part of a series on
the Kurdish–Turkish conflict

Kurdish–Turkish
peace process

History

| Unilateral cease-fire| 1999–2004

|

Solution process| 2013–15

Primary concerns

* Depopulated Kurdish villages
* Dams construction
* Kurdish civil rights
* Legality of Kurdish parties
* Imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan

International brokers

Iraqi Kurdistan

Proposals

Kurdish autonomous region

* v
* t
* e

Abdullah Öcalan has been imprisoned on İmralı Island in the Sea of Marmara since February 1999. He is serving a life sentence for violating Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code.[1] Initially, he was sentenced to death,[1] but the conviction was commuted to a life sentence in October 2002.[2]

## Background

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Abdullah Öcalan is a founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group that initially aimed for an independent Kurdistan but later adapted its demands to focus on cultural and political rights for the Kurds.[3] He led the PKK and its struggle from bases in Lebanon and Syria until he was expelled from Syria in October 1998. Following his expulsion, he toured several countries in Europe and Africa, all of which refused to either detain and try him or grant him asylum.[4]

### Capture and trial

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Abdullah Öcalan was eventually captured in Nairobi, Kenya, by an operative of the Turkish Secret Service in February 1999 and brought to the prison facility on Imrali island.[4] His trial began on 31 May 1999 and concluded on 29 June with a death sentence for treason and separatism. The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in October 2002.

Despite being imprisoned for more than 25 years, Öcalan is still respected and seen as the leader of the PKK by several political actors within Turkey and representatives of the Kurdish diaspora. His calls to lay down arms, turn themselves in, and hold peace negotiations have often been followed by members of the PKK.[3] In the past, peace negotiations were also facilitated by the Turkish authorities.[5][6]

## Detention conditions

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Since his capture in February 1999, Öcalan has spent several years in solitary confinement on İmralı Island.[7] In November 2009, five other prisoners were brought to the island,[8] where a new detention facility had been built. The new prison was constructed after the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) visited the island and objected to the conditions in which he was being held.[9][10] Turkish authorities announced that Öcalan would be allowed to engage with the other prisoners for ten hours a week.[9] In 2014, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that there had been a violation of Article 3 regarding his status as the only prisoner on İmralı Island until 17 November 2009.[11]

### Detention facility

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In 2010, the CPT visited İmralı prison and noted that Öcalan had received reasonable improvements in his treatment.[12] He is housed in a cell of about 10m² with access to a sanitary compound of about 2m². The cell has enough space for a table, chairs, a bed, and a sink.[12] Additionally, he has access to an outdoor facility of 24m².[12] The cell lacks a direct natural light source, due to the 7-meter-high wall surrounding both the cell and the outdoor facility.[12] In addition to his right to listen to the radio and read newspapers, which he had been granted previously, Öcalan was provided with a television in January 2013.[13]

### Interactions between inmates

[edit]

Having been the only inmate until November 2009,[11] Öcalan can now choose to participate in physical activities such as table tennis, volleyball, and basketball, each of which he can play for one hour per week.[14] Additionally, he is allowed to play chess for one hour per week.[14] On İmralı, inmates can meet once a week for a so-called "conversation hour."[15]

### Visitation rights

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From 27 July 2011 until 2 May 2019, Abdullah Öcalan's lawyers were not allowed to meet with him.[16] From July 2011 until December 2017, his lawyers filed more than 700 appeals for visits, all of which were rejected.[17] Öcalan was banned from receiving visits for nearly two years, from 6 October 2014 until 11 September 2016, when his brother Mehmet Öcalan visited him for Eid al-Adha.[18] On 6 September 2018, visits from lawyers were banned for six months due to previous punishments Öcalan received between 2005 and 2009, the fact that his lawyers made their conversations with him public, and the belief that Öcalan was leading the PKK through communications with his lawyers.[16] He was again banned from receiving visits until 12 January 2019, when his brother was allowed to visit him a second time. His brother reported that his health was good.[19] The ban on lawyer visits was lifted in April 2019, and Öcalan saw his lawyers on 2 May 2019.[16]

## Political influences

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In 2011, almost a hundred Kurdish mayors were charged with terror propaganda for demanding better detention conditions for Öcalan.[20] Politicians from the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) raised the issue of his solitary confinement several times in the Turkish parliament and demanded that Öcalan be allowed to communicate with his relatives and lawyers.[21] During the peace process between the PKK and Turkey, Öcalan received visits from politicians of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), between January[22][23] and March 2013.[24] In support of the peace process, the PKK released six Turkish soldiers and two state employees in March 2013, on Öcalan's orders.[25]

## Popular campaigns caused by the imprisonment

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After Öcalan's capture, rallies were organized outside embassies in several countries.[26] When security guards opened fire on intruders at the Israeli consulate in Berlin, two people were killed.[27] Of the seventy-four individuals who self-immolated in protest of his capture, sixteen died.[26] Regular demonstrations have been held by the Kurdish community to raise awareness of Öcalan's isolation.[28] Since at least 2015, rallies demanding the liberation of Abdullah Öcalan have been held each February in Strasbourg, the seat of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).[29][30][31]

### Hunger Strikes

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Over 140 Kurdish associations organized hunger strikes in protest of Öcalan's capture.[26] In later years, hunger strikes were held demanding an end to Öcalan's solitary confinement.[21] In September 2012, some prisoners began a hunger strike, which over time involved thousands of prisoners, as well as politicians from pro-Kurdish parties.[32] In November 2012, about 10,000 Kurdish prisoners joined the hunger strike, calling for better detention conditions for Öcalan, the right to use the Kurdish language in trials, and the start of peace negotiations between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).[33] The strike lasted for sixty-eight days until Öcalan demanded its end.[34][32] Several politicians from the HDP participated in hunger strikes demanding improved detention conditions.[35] Former HDP MPs Leyla Güven, Sebahat Tuncel, and Selma Irmak also participated in hunger strikes.[36] Leyla Güven ended her hunger strike in May 2019[37] only after Öcalan was able to receive a visit from his lawyers[37] and called for an end to the hunger strikes.[38][37]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Text of the Öcalan verdict". BBC. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
2. ^ "Kurd's Death Sentence Commuted to Life Term". Los Angeles Times. 4 October 2002. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
3. ^ a b Marcus, Aliza (2009). Blood and belief : the PKK and the Kurdish fight for independence (1. ed.). New York: New York University Press. pp. 287–8\. ISBN 978-0814795873.
4. ^ a b Gökkaya, Hasan (15 February 2019). "Der mächtigste Häftling der Türkei". Die Zeit. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
5. ^ Akdan, Irfan (26 November 2014). "Çözüm Sürecinin Kronolojisi". Bianet.
6. ^ "Chronology of Peace Process in Turkey". Hafıza Merkezi. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
7. ^ "European court chides Turkey over Kurd leader Ocalan". BBC. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
8. ^ "PKK leader Ocalan gets company in prison". UPI. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
9. ^ a b Villelabeitia, Ibon (18 November 2009). "Company at last for Kurdish inmate alone for ten years". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
10. ^ Erduran, Esra (10 November 2009). "Turkey building new prison for PKK members". Southeast European Times. Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
11. ^ a b "Terrorism and the European Convention on Human Rights" (PDF). European Court of Human Rights. 18 March 2014.
12. ^ a b c d "Report to the Turkish Government on the visit to Turkey carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)". Council of Europe. p. 7.
13. ^ "Öcalan's TV keeps politicians busy - Turkey News". Hürriyet. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
14. ^ a b "Report to the Turkish Government on the visit to Turkey carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)". Council of Europe. p. 10.
15. ^ "Report to the Turkish Government on the visit to Turkey carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)". Council of Europe. p. 8
16. ^ a b c "Öcalan-Anwälte: Kontaktverbot faktisch in Kraft". Firat News Agency (in German). Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
17. ^ "Lawyers' appeal to visit Öcalan rejected for the 710th time". Firat News. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
18. ^ "Inhaftierter PKK-Chef: Erstmals seit zwei Jahren Familienbesuch für Öcalan". Der Spiegel. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
19. ^ Kurdistan24. "PKK's Ocalan visited by family in Turkish prison, first time in years". Kurdistan24. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
20. ^ "Turkey charges Kurdish politicians over Ocalan appeal". BBC News. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
21. ^ a b "Isolation of PKK leader Öcalan, hunger strikes in prisons on Parliamentary agenda". Bianet. 15 June 2021.
22. ^ "Kurdish Deputies Meet Ocalan on Imrali Island". 4 January 2013.
23. ^ Butler, Daren (26 February 2013). "Kurdish rebel leader warns of disaster if no Turkey peace". Reuters. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
24. ^ "Kurdish Deputies Set Off For Imrali". Bianet. 18 March 2021.
25. ^ Letsch, Constanze; Traynor, Ian (13 March 2013). "PKK free Turkish hostages to reinforce peace talks with Erdogan government". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
26. ^ a b c Gürbüz, Mustafa (2016). Rival Kurdish Movements in Turkey. Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam. p. 49\. ISBN 9789089648785.
27. ^ Hooper, John (18 February 1999). "Military action and three deaths after Ocalan's capture". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
28. ^ "Demonstrations for Öcalan in Europe". ANF News. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
29. ^ Zeitung, Süddeutsche (15 February 2020). "Kurden demonstrieren in Straßburg für Freilassung Öcalans". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 17 November 2021.
30. ^ "Kurds march in Strasbourg for release of former PKK leader Öcalan". RFI. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
31. ^ Tas, Latif. "What kind of peace? The case of the Turkish and Kurdish peace process". Open Democracy. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
32. ^ a b "After the Hunger Strike". The New Yorker. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
33. ^ Pichler, Melanie; Ajanović, Edma (5 October 2016). "Women for democracy in Turkey?". Red Pepper. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
34. ^ "Kurdish prisoners end hunger strike after Ocalan appeal". BBC News. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
35. ^ "Arrested Politicians Sebahat Tuncel, Selma Irmak Go on Hunger Strike". 15 January 2015.
36. ^ "Arrested Politicians Sebahat Tuncel, Selma Irmak Go on Hunger Strike". Bianet. 15 January 2019.
37. ^ a b c "Besuchsverbot für PKK-Gründer Öcalan aufgehoben | DW | 16.05.2019". Deutsche Welle (in German). 16 May 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
38. ^ "Leyla Güven: I End My Hunger Strike". Bianet. 26 May 2019.

## External links

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* Timeline of Abdullah Öcalan imprisonment

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