International Initiative
Freedom for Ocalan – Peace in Kurdistan
P.O. Box 100511, D-50445 Koeln
E-Mail: info@freedom-for-ocalan.com
Url: www.freedom-for-ocalan.com

Cologne, 6 November 2003

INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE BRIEFINGS:
Six weeks without a word from Ocalan - Ocalan lawyer bashes passive European stance

It is six weeks now that Abdullah Ocalan started protesting his severe solitary confinement by refusing to see his lawyers until his detention conditions would be definitely improved.

Five Years of solitary confinement have deteriorated his health markedly. His lawyers repeatedly appealed to the Anti-Torture Committee (CPT) of the European Council and requested a new inspection of their client’s detention conditions. They also invited the CPT to send an independent international group of doctors to Imrali. These requests have not been answered as yet.

In an interview with the pro-Kurdish news agency MHA Ocalan’s lawyer criticised the Committee’s passive stance towards this situation. Although there had been talks including extended correspondence nothing had been accomplished so far. Rather, the Committee would confine itself exclusively to an observer role.

Ocalan’s situation, however, has already led to tensions among Turkey’s Kurdish community. In many cases protests ended in clashes with Turkish security forces. It was only last weekend that 15.000 Kurds gathered in the Eastern Turkish city of Van to protest against Abdullah Ocalan’s solitary confinement.

In fact, the situation may even escalate when the unilateral ceasefire which is still observed by the Kurdish rebels will definitely come to an end on December 1.

Source: MHA, 4 November 2003; Ozgur Politika, 3 November 2003