Behind Imrali prison’s walls: violations of all world-recognized laws

SOLIN RASHID /AL_SHAHBA

Hawar news agency (ANHA) held interview with lawyer Israfil Mustafa, he stressed that under international law on political prisoners, leader Abdullah Ocalan was exposed to an unfair and unjust trial. Even the method of his abduction and detention was contrary to all international laws , where participants were supposed to be held accountable for the plot that led to his abduction.

The lawyer added, "The conspiracy and the way in which the leader of the Kurdish people, Abdullah Ocalan, was kidnapped is a crime in itself, because it must be distinguished between the arrest of a leader and a political thinker. Turkey, with the help of several other countries forced Ocalan out of Syria and then chased him in other countries which were involved in kidnapping him in inhumane ways and the use of anesthesia during the kidnapping was completely contrary to international conventions, and if there was international justice, it was supposed to hold accountable and prosecute anyone who has the hand in this shameful plot against a leader that represents a whole people and is considered a thinker and politician.

Mustafa stressed that the detention of Ocalan is a violation of the provisions of the Charter of Human Rights, which was adopted in 1948, yet violated by the Turkish authorities, and increased today the imposition of severe isolation without any accountability, noting that the refusal of the Turkish Attorney General's lawsuits to visit Ocalan all that period is a flagrant violation "There is a clause in the international law that every prisoner has the right to be visited by his/her lawyers and to hold meeting individually." The lawyer noted that these practices by the Turkish authorities violate not only international laws, but also the system of public prisoners and political prisoners, in particular, because it deprives them of their basic right to a visit of lawyers and family.

Israfil Bakir Mustafa pointed out that the arbitrary arrest of Ocalan and failure to deal with him as a prisoner of conscience or leader representing a people or a thinker, stripping him of all his rights and leaving him without international guarantees and that of self-defense is considered an attack on the sacred right recognized by international laws " Defense is a sacred right. " Israfi said: "Although this item is mentioned in all international constitutions and even the Turkish constitution, but it is not applied in the case of leader Ocalan, and here we recognize the decline of the international community and human rights organizations and the rights of prisoners and detainees who close their eyes to all the Turkish violations committed against Ocalan.

The lawyer Israfil focused on the health side of leader Ocalan under the conditions of aggravated isolation, on this point, he confirmed that Ocalan is deprived of the right to disclose his health under supervision of international human rights organizations, and said: "Even the report issued by the Organization against Torture in prisons was clearly politicized and serves the Turkish government, because it was written and documented under the supervision of the Turkish intelligence, and did not mention anything about the violations against Ocalan in prison, and did not disclose the truth of what is happening in Imrali prison to public opinion.

At the end of his speech the lawyer Israfil Mustafa appealed to all jurists and international and human rights organizations to play their effective role in accordance with their obligations under international law to put an end to Turkish occupation's violations to  all international covenants and deal leader Abdullah Ocalan as political prisoner, seeking to lift his isolation and disclose his conditions to public opinion.

(T/S)

ANHA