ISTANBUL - Stating that the prisoners continue their action to ensure the freedom of Abdullah Ocalan and to raise awareness against isolation, Lawyer Rezan Gezer said that the prisoners convey these demands to the ministry once a week.

 

While there has been no news from PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is held in Imrali Type F High Security Closed Prison, for 38 months, the "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, solution to the Kurdish issue" campaign launched at the global level continues. In this context, the rotating hunger strike that the prisoners started on November 27 evolved into a decision to meet with family, telephone rights and boycott the courts on April 4.

 

Lawyer Rezan Gezer, a member of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (OHD), made evaluations about the violations suffered by the prisoners who took action within the scope of the campaign launched to demand the physical freedom of Abdullah Ocalan.

 

Referring to the actions during the hunger strike, Gezer underlined that many unlawful actions were taken against the prisoners during this period. Gezer said: “Since the action has just started, a disciplinary investigation has not been initiated yet. In some places, solitary confinement was given, and in some places, people were banned from social events. In fact, some of the clients we spoke to said that phone calls were banned. But I have not heard that any investigation has been opened with the clients we have met with regarding this boycott action.”

 

THEY SEND THEIR DEMAND TO THE MINISTRY

 

Stating that the prisoners are determined in their demands, Gezer continued: "Their demand, as in the hunger strikes, is for Mr. Abdullah Ocalan's isolation to end and his freedom to come. Peaceful solutions to the Kurdish issue aim to end the rights violations of both political prisoners and ill prisoners. They started sending all these demands to the Ministry of Justice and many institutions dealing with prisons. Prisoners continue to send these demands to the Ministry of Justice repeatedly, once a week. Prisoners stated that they will continue their family, telephone and court boycotts unless their demands are met."

 

AWARENESS ABOUT ISOLATION

 

Referring to the purpose of the prisoners' boycott action, Gezer said: "This is an action they took to make the whole public understand the extent of this isolation on both Mr. Abdullah Ocalan and other prisoners, and so that their families can now understand this. By not coming to family meets, courts or phone calls, they want the public to know that this dimension is actually the same as other isolations and that when people are not heard from, they may not even know what might happen to them.”

 

'PRISONS ARE ENTERING A DIFFICULT SITUATION'

 

Stating that boycotting phone calls, court visits and family visits causes "uncertainty", Gezer said: "When the prison sentences a prisoner, families are informed. It is said, 'The person showed this action in prison. As a result of this act, prisoner received this punishment.' Or it is notified to the family through lawyers. They know that the prisoner is there, they know that there is no problem. But in the boycott action, the prisoners decide everything themselves. And they have no meetings with families and often with lawyers. Therefore, the outsider has no knowledge of what is happening inside. From this point of view, the prison institution is in a difficult situation. This response must be given in response to this action. In fact, this is the targeted point somewhere. Because there is a person inside who has not been heard from for a long time and has been in isolation for years, They have not met with their lawyers and family for months.”

 

'THE PUBLIC NEED TO REACT'

 

Gezer continued his words as follows: “In fact, this ongoing isolation of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan has resulted in us not being able to meet with our clients. This situation must actually be on the public agenda. If I ask to meet with my client tomorrow and receive an answer of 'no', I will be in a situation where my client will not even know whether it is my demand or the institution's own demand. Therefore, the public and the media need to react here.”