We are here republishing the 2022 Report on Imrali Prison, published by Asrin Law Office. The following is an introductory letter to the report written by Asrin Law Office, and the report is available to download in full as a pdf below.

Dear Sir/Madam,

 İmralı F Type High Security Closed Prison is a single-person island prison built specifically for our client, Abdullah Öcalan, in February 1999, completely overriding domestic and international law. The prison has since then been operated based on a special status and through special practices. Under the so-called aggravated execution regime, which we also refer to as the “İmralı Isolation System”, our clients in the prison have been held under conditions of extraordinary isolation for a long time – 24 years in terms of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and eight years in terms of Mr. Hamili Yildirim, Mr. Ömer Hayri Konar, and Mr. Veysi Aktaş.

Despite the fact that these are guaranteed by the constitution, international conventions and domestic legislation, our clients rights to see their lawyers and family members, to communicate with them by telephone, and to communicate with the outside world by letter, fax, and other means of communication have been suspended. In short, İmralı Island Prison is a place where fundamental rights and freedoms have been systematically violated since the day it was established.

We have NOT BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE ANY NEWS from our clients on the island since 25 March 2021. Therefore, we could not obtain any information regarding their health status, detention conditions, legal situation and other issues. The fact that our clients are currently held incommunicado gives rise to serious concerns as to whether their physical and mental integrity is being protected under the present circumstances.

Every week we file applications to the Bursa Public Prosecutor’s Office and through the prosecutor’s Office, to the İmrali Prison Directorate in order to make sure that family and lawyer visits can take place. The fact that these applications are left unanswered leaves us increasingly worried

Following our communication to the United Nations Human Rights Committee concerning the incommunicado detention of our clients, the Committee requested the Government “to put an end to the authors’ incommunicado detention and allow immediate and unrestricted access to a lawyer of their choice.” Despite this injunction by the HRC, the incommunicado detention of our clients continues.

We hereby submit to your information the attached comprehensive report dealing with the clients’ conditions of detention, the legal procedures they are subjected to and the efforts made in this respect, as well as the matters accounted for above. We have full confidence that you will show the necessary caution to overcome this situation our clients are exposed to which is against the human rights and freedoms. 

Kind regards,

Asrın Law Office

 

Download the report as a pdf here: https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2022_Assessment_Report_in_Imrali_Island_Prison.pdf

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