Topics of 2nd session of the First Conference of Syrian Initiative for the Freedom of Ocalan

This morning, at the invitation of the Syrian Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan, the Syrian Lawyers’ Initiative to Defend Leader Abdullah Ocalan, and the Doctors’ Union, the activities of the first conference of the Syrian Initiative were launched at Al-Sharq University in the city of Raqqa, under the slogan (Violating international law in the case of Leader Abdullah Ocalan and the right to justice).

After the end of the topics of the first session, the topics of the second session began, and at the beginning, Nelson Mandela’s friend, Mahmoud Patel, spoke about the leader Abdullah Ocalan and said, “The international conspiracy that targeted the leader in 1998 and the goal of this conspiracy is to strike the unity of the peoples launched by Abdullah Ocalan, and the issue of arrest “The leader is a political issue, and what Turkey is doing is a violation of international conventions, including the right to expression.”

Mahmoud Patel stated, “All these rights were deprived of the leader Abdullah Ocalan, so I found several initiatives to end the isolation, including the Syrian initiative for the freedom of the leader Ocalan. A stronger role must be played for the freedom of the leader, and civil society organizations and countries supporting oppressed peoples must put pressure on Turkey to force it to release the leader Ocalan."

The second session of the conference was moderated by lawyer Ghufran Al-Khalaf. The first topic of the session included “The Imrali System,” delivered by the lawyer from the city of Raqqa, Khadija Bidawi, who confirmed “The Coffin Island and the notorious Imrali Prison. After the signing of the Lausanne Agreement in 1923, the people of Imrali were displaced from their island, and after that it began receiving prisoners.”

In 1999, Imrali Prison was emptied of all prisoners, leaving Leader Abdullah Ocalan to remain there. Imrali Prison has a special system that violates all laws and prison regulations as it is based on the absolute isolation of prisoners, and Turkey violates the provisions of Article Three of Turkish law, which says that even if disciplinary penalties are imposed on any prisoner, he is allowed to visit his family and his lawyer 3 times a week.

Khadija Bidawi added, "Turkey violates human rights laws and protocols in its dealings with the case of Leader Abdullah Ocalan. Turkey violates social and cultural covenants, and violates the model rules for the treatment of prisoners, as the United Nations has adopted the Convention against Torture of any Prisoner. Despite all of that, Turkey violates the rules and regulations of the prison system." Therefore, the punishment for leader Abdullah Ocalan is severe and in violation of international laws.”

The second topic included “The Leader’s Health,” delivered by Doctor Mustafa Abdel Karim, who affirmed that health is a right for every human being, regardless of religion or race, and is the basis for the continuity of life. However, health was not concerned with the issue of the leader Abdullah Ocalan, and based on the definitions and approaches of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, the right The World Health Organization applies to Mr. Ocalan.”

Mustafa Abdel Karim stated, “The humidity in Imrali Prison reaches 80 to 90 percent, and humidity also affects the general health of the body. Long exposure to moisture affects the health of the body. It is likely that the mucous membranes affect human breathing, and high humidity affects the physical and psychological health of the body.”

Mustafa Abdel Karim pointed out, “After interviews conducted with Leader Ocalan and the three doctors, and after medical examination, his health was good at the beginning of his kidnapping, and the Committee against Torture recommended comprehensive medical examinations every week, the adequacy of the medical facilities and the medical supplies in the prison and fully explaining them to Mr. Ocalan. In 2017, it was not done.” Any examination of Mr. Ocalan should be conducted, a chest X-ray should be taken, and many medical steps should be taken to preserve the health of Leader Abdullah Ocalan.”

Leader Abdullah Ocalan's lawyer, Janet Janish, also spoke about the violations in Imrali prison, where he stressed, "We are trying to shed light on the stages that Mr. Abdullah Ocalan went through, and I hope that these steps will become a path to our struggle."

And between Janet Janish, from the beginning of 1999 until now, Leader Abdullah Ocalan went through 4 stages: the first stage from 1999 until 2005, the second was slow death from 2005 until 2015, and the fourth stage began in 2021 after telephone contact with him was cut off. We can say that it was completed. This system was established in 1999 as a result of an agreement between Turkish and American intelligence, and this agreement was later approved.”

Janish pointed out, "The disciplinary decisions and penalties are not legal, and the Turkish state worked to find a way to continue imposing these penalties in Imrali prison on the leader Abdullah Ocalan."

Then the door for interventions was opened to the participants, where a member of the Latakia Bar Association, lawyer Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Khadhur, said that the issue of the freedom of leader Ocalan cannot be achieved only through a political solution, and the legal aspect has a role. We have qualified lawyers and jurists who can bring the result, and the second is that the media must be A positive point on the topic of the leader.

Lawyer Zaki Hesso added in turn: “I had previously attended local seminars on the situation of leader Ocalan, and I proposed at the time to hold this conference, but after this conference, work must be done to organize a human rights conference at the level of the Middle East and Europe, and that is through a mechanism and through the formation of specialized human rights committees and bodies to discuss the issues.” The violations committed against Leader Ocalan, which are in violation of international law.”

Lawyer Amna Khadro confirmed, “Naturally, the Turkish state wants to exterminate the ideas of the leader Abdullah Ocalan, and block the way to his idea. We, as peoples, are here as we are, and we welcome all those present, and I respect all opinions and suggestions that serve the path of the leader’s freedom. We have agreed at this stage that the leader’s freedom should be The goal is the goal.”

The Conference is scheduled to produce a set of outcomes and a final statement.

T/Satt.

ANHA