French senator asks to meet with leader Ocalan

The French Communist Party senator in Paris, Pascal Savoldelli, sent a letter to the Turkish Ministry of Justice asking to meet with leader Ocalan, drawing attention to international agreements and requesting the necessary legal permissions in this regard, Mesopotamia reported.

The text of the letter sent by Savoldelli to the ministry,: "I am writing to you as a senator of the French Republic to draw your attention to the situation of Abdullah Ocalan, who has been detained in Turkey for 25 years and, as you know, was arrested in 1999 and has been held in the maximum security prison ever since.

Reports by human rights defenders indicate that there are serious restrictions on Ocalan's visitation and communication rights, which constitute a violation of international standards on prisoners' rights, during these years, prison conditions were often described as very strict, there was long-term isolation, and Abdullah Ocalan became a key party in peace negotiations between the Turkish government and the Kurds.

During the peace talks that began in 2013, Ocalan played the role of mediator, calling for a ceasefire and an end to hostilities, however, the lawyer and his family have not received information from him for 5 years, and only one phone call was made with a member of his family in March 2021, this conversation lasted for 5 minutes, then it was cut off.

This situation raises deep concerns about Ocalan's fundamental rights, in particular his right to communicate with his relatives and legal representatives, in the name of international law, in particular in accordance with international law on civil and political rights (MSHÎS) and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules), I request information about Ocalan's state of health and prison conditions. Respect for human rights, including the right of all prisoners to visit and communicate with the outside world, is a fundamental principle of international agreements to which the Republic of Turkey is a party.

"I would like to exercise my right to meet with Ocalan in the presence of his lawyer"

At the same time, as a member of Parliament, I would like to exercise my right to meet with Abdullah Ocalan in the presence of his lawyer, and this initiative falls within the framework of my mission to monitor and promote human rights, in accordance with the values and obligations of the European Convention on Human Rights signed by the Council of Europe and Turkey.

In this spirit, I am requesting the necessary permission to visit Abdullah Ocalan, I would like to thank you in advance for your interest in this request, and I look forward to your positive response so that we can organize this visit as soon as possible."

Sh-S

ANHA