Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and prisoners Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş held in İmralı Type F High Security Closed Prison met with their relatives on March 31 as part of the Eid al-Fitr. Abdullah Öcalan's nephew Ömer Öcalan and his brother Mehmet Öcalan, Konar's brother Ali Konar, Yıldırım's brother Polat Yıldırım and Aktaş's sister Sabiha Aslan wan to the meeting. 

 

Aktaş has had only 4 family meetings (including the last one) since they were taken to İmralı in March 2015. Aktaş has not been able to meet with a sinle lawyer since they were taken to İmralı. 

 

Aktaş has been able to meet with his family only on June 5 and August 12, 2019 and March 3, 2020 since they were taken to İmralı. The last time Aktaş spoke to his family was on April 27, 2020 at the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office with his sister Sabiha Aslan. Aktaş said, “This may be the last meeting and communication”. 

 

Veysi Aktaş's sister Sabiha Aslan spoke to Mezopotamya Agency (MA) about the meeting she had in İmralı after 6 years. 

 

Sabiha Aslan said that she did not have high hopes when they applied for the Eid al-Fitr, "I did not have high hopes in case my hope would be broken again. We apply every time, I thought ‘rejection will come again’. Two days before the feast, they called me and informed me that the permission for the meeting had been granted. The excitement of seeing Veysi was very different. It was one of the feelings that cannot be described with words." 

 

Sabiha Aslan stated that the last time she saw her brother was 6 years ago, "There was a big difference between 6 years ago and now" she said and pointed out that they were treated better than in the previous visits. Noting that the visit lasted 50-55 minutes, Sabiha Aslan stressed that they met in the same room where Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and prisoners meet.

 

"First, Mehmet Öcalan and Ömer Öcalan had a family meeting. Then Polat Yıldırım met with Hamili Yıldırım. Then we had a meeting. The room where I was interviewed was the room with the round table." 

 

'I WAS LOOKING AT HIS FACE WITHOUT BLINKING'

 

She said she was very excited when she entered the prison. "I was trying to restrain myself. At that time, the offices said 'Veysi is coming'. I ran and hugged and kissed him before he came to me. 'Ez kurbana bire xwe bim, Ez kurbana hevalê te bim (I will be a victim to my brother and his comrades),' I said. Then we sat at the table and started chatting. I was looking at him without blinking, and I asked his friends, 'How are you?' He said, 'We are fine, they are fine too.' They looked overweight in the photo, but they weren't, he was thinner than in the photo. I asked him about his health and he said, 'We are in very good health'.” 

 

Sabiha Aslan said, “While I was waiting on the island, I had put a yellow flower I had plucked from outside in a plastic bottle and brought it inside. I had left it on the table. He asked, 'Where did you bring the flower from? I said, 'I plucked it from here.' He laughed and said, 'Why are you bringing me the one here; I'm already here. Take the one here home. We laughed together.” 

 

Sabiha Aslan said that neither Aktaş could ask about the condition of her father, who passed away on November 30, 2022, nor could she tell him. "Afterwards, I asked Veysi, 'Did you hear anything?' He looked at the wall and said, 'Yes I heard about my father's dead.' He asked me the caouse of death. I told him he had a brain hemorrhage. He asked about my mother. I told him that she is getting older. I told him that she is eagerly waiting for him to come." 

 

'I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE AMED NEWROZ'

 

Noting that she also described the enthusiasm of Newroz, Sabiha Aslan said, "I said to Veysi, 'They unfurled a poster of your picture at the Diyarbakır Newroz'. He said they had partially seen it. I told him that there was a great desire for peace and excitement on the faces of the people at Newroz. Veysi replied 'God willing'. I told him that when the call was read out, we followed it with a large crowd in Amed (Diyarbakır). I told him that young people, old people, everyone was moved. 'Is that so' he asked. I couldn't ask many of the questions I had in my head because of the excitement. Afterwards, there were some things I wish I had asked. The excitement there was very different, the atmosphere was very different.” 

 

Sabiha Aslan said that she also reproached Aktaş for sending clothes with brand labels, “I told him that he didn't send branded clothes, that they had writing on them. I told him that not everything with writing on it was branded. Veysi told me, 'I would like you to buy clothes from the market. I told him I couldn't find any, and he asked me not to send such things. We laughed a little at that situation.” 

 

3 LETTERS IN 9 YEARS

 

Sabiha aslan stressed that Aktaş stated that he had received only 3 letters in 9 years when asked whether he had received letters. Sabiha Aslan added, "His morale was also very good. I was told that the morale of other friends was also good. Everyone sent greetings to each other."

 

Sabiha Aslan said that the families requested a short greeting with all prisoners within the scope of the Eid al-Fitr, but they were not accepted, Sabiha Aslan added that they were not informed whether there would be other visits or not. Sabiha Aslan said, "I am still experiencing that happiness. It was as if it had not rained for 3 years, but after 3 years it rained and everything was green. This time; my feeling was very different, it created hope in me. It created very good feelings. I am still happy, I am looking forward to the next visit."

 

MA / Müjdat Can