JINHA

NEWS CENTER-Members of the International Imralı Delegation, including Nelson Mandela's lawyer Essa Mossa and writer Janet Biehl, made an urgent call on the CPT to visit the Imralı Prison.

Members of the International Imralı Delegation, including Nelson Mandela's lawyer Essa Mossa and writer Janet Biehl, made an urgent call on the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to visit the Imralı Prison immediately. The letter addressed to the CPT Director Mykola Gnatovsky states that Öcalan was not allowed to see anybody since April 5, 2015 and was finally heard from him for the first time since on September 11 through his brother Mehmet Öcalan. The Imralı Delegation shared their concerns regarding Öcalan's situation in the letter and asked the CPT to visit Imralı or the Turkish soldiers, who defected to Greece, should be interviewed.

The letter points out the peace efforts in the message sent by the PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan through his brother Mehmet Öcalan and states that the Turkish state continues “its system of torture” in response in Imralı Prison.

The letter also states that despite the passing months, CPT's report on the visit in April still hasn’t been published, and asks that the report should be shared with the public urgently. The letter includes the criticism that despite these concerns shared by the Kurdistan and international public, the CPT "continues to act irresponsibly" and points out their statement on September 7 that they had visited Turkey but not Imralı Prison.

The Imralı Delegation states in letter that this situation is both against the duties of the CPT and effectively means disregarding the concerns of millions of individuals, and says, "The CPT isn't doing anything, and implicitly supports and encourages the isolation and torture imposed upon Abdullah Öcalan by the Turkish government".

The International Imralı Delegation calls on the CPT to publish the details on the visit in April and to visit Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held in Imralı Prison immediately by taking the demand of millions.

(gc/gd)