Kongra Star calls for access to Imrali Island Prison

Representing all women in Rojava-Western Kurdistan- the Kongra Star called for the termination of the dire conditions leader Ocalan is being living in since his arrest in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, February 15^th, 1999, as well as calling for a rapid move to access the Imrali Island Prison, in a message that reads as follows:

''To all women and freedom-seeking people

We are writing to you because of our serious concern for the health of the representative of the Kurdish people, Abdullah Öcalan. As is known, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, who has been fighting for peace, democratization and women's liberation in Kurdistan and throughout the Middle East for more than 50 years, was arrested on February 15, 1999, as part of an international conspiracy and has been subjected to severe isolation torture until today.

The isolation imposed on him is a special war that uses psychological violence to break the will of the Kurdish people. The inhumane conditions to which he is subjected on the prison island violate not only Turkish law, but also international law.

Time and again, his lawyers' requests to visit their client are denied on unlawful reasons. The last lawyer-client consultation in Imrali Prison with Mr. Öcalan took place on August 7, 2019. Since then, there have been no further consultations or family visits and the situation of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan has been unknown since then.

In the past, there have been repeated provocations by the Turkish state that have raised concerns about Mr. Abdullah Öcalan's situation. Like in March 2007, when it was suspected that he was poisoned, or in 2020, when there was a fire on the prison island and his situation was unknown. Last but not least, on March 14, 2021, allegations were made on anonymous Turkish social media accounts about the welfare of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan.

Just like his lawyers who have issued a statement and the Kurdish people who have been on the streets since days demanding clarity about his situation and his release, we as Kurdish women's organization and women in North and East Syria are also seriously concerned about the situation of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan.As long as there is no permanent transparency about the situation of the Kurdish representative Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish people cannot rest. His health situation is linked to the situation of the entire Kurdish people. The security of the society is that of its representative, every time the Turkish state plays with the sensitive chord of the people and spreads fear and panic in the society, it is an attack on the whole Kurdish people.

Mr. Abdullah Ocalan has been fighting for the rights of the oppressed peoples and especially for the rights of women for decades and also during his imprisonment on the prison island. We women from Rojava (Western Kurdistan) and women from Northern and Eastern Syria have also drawn inspiration, knowledge and strength from the philosophy and ideology of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, with this knowledge and strength we have started a women's revolution here in the region and achieved great steps for women's rights.

Just as Mr. Abdullah Öcalan has always stood up for women's rights, we as women must also stand by him. We call upon all social, political and especially women's organizations to speak out against Turkey's human rights violations and to become active in order to put pressure on the institutions responsible for the situation so that they follow up on their responsibilities.

We demand clarity about the state of health of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan. The isolation detention must be ended immediately. The representative of the Kurdish people must be released immediately''.

L.A.

ANHA