Lawyers of Asrın Law Firm filed a lawsuit against their client PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is held in absolute isolation in Imrali Type F High Security Prison and had not been heard from for 39 months, and Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş, who are held with him, on May 17, at the United Nations (UN) Torture Court. Asrın Law Firm applied for “urgent action” to the Special Rapporteur. Lawyers also applied to the special rapporteurship that deals with the ability of lawyers to perform their duties.

 

UN DOCUMENTS WERE SUBMITTED TO RELEVANT REPORTER OFFICES

 

In the application, the lawyers comprehensively submitted to the rapporteurs the conditions of detention of their clients in Imrali and the issues regarding the obstruction of the legal profession within the framework of the UN documents, and pointed out that the application must be evaluated urgently in order to eliminate the irreparable damages in Imrali. Referring to the UN Human Rights Committee's demand for measures dated September 6, 2023, the lawyers stated that the committee decision in question supports this situation. Lawyers also underlined that Turkey has still not fulfilled the requirements of the decision.

 

CALL FOR JOINT INITIATIVE

 

In the application, it is also stated that visits to lawyers are prevented, prohibition and disciplinary decisions based on the practice are carried out without the participation of a lawyer, samples of files are not given to lawyers, etc. Stating that violations are within the scope of work of the special rapporteur on the independence of lawyers, the lawyers noted that the joint initiative to be carried out by the relevant rapporteurships to eliminate the violations of rights in question is of decisive importance.

 

DEMANDS

 

In the continuation of the application, the lawyers made the following demands from the relevant special rapporteurships within the UN:

 

* Due to the urgent nature of this application, it must be evaluated as soon as possible.

* The applicants' incommunicado detention conditions must be terminated and their demands to meet with their families and lawyers must be immediately forwarded to the government.

* Visiting Imrali Prison, examining the conditions of detention on site and holding a face-to-face meeting with the applicants

* Reporting the treatment the applicants were subjected to

* Monitoring the Imrali prison and the conditions to which the applicants were exposed

* Preparing a press release as a result of the data obtained.

 

MA / İbrahim Irmak