Besê Hozat, co-chair of the Executive Council of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union), commented on current developments in an interview broadcast on Medya Haber TV on Tuesday evening. In the program, Besê Hozat said that the Turkish government is trying to blackmail the Kurdish freedom movement into making concessions by isolating Abdullah Öcalan. The Kurdish people’s leader has been on the prison island of Imrali in the Sea of ​​Marmara for over 25 years, and all contact with the outside world has been lost since March 2021.

Besê Hozat said: “In the last few days, some information has reached us. We think it is important to make this public. A reliable source close to Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has promised contact with Öcalan if the Kurdish movement makes certain concessions in return. First, a conversation with Öcalan's brother could be arranged, and later with his legal team.”

Hozat did not comment on the content of the concessions demanded, but explained: “Our source of information is reliable. We also know the group of people who passed on the information in this way. We know the policy that they have been pursuing together with Erdoğan for years.”

Unacceptable

Abdullah Öcalan is a political hostage of the Turkish state and is being used for blackmail attempts. The KCK rejects this dirty attempt and will not enter into such negotiations. According to Turkish law and international standards, Öcalan has the right to contact the outside world. Throwing this right into the balance for a deal with the Kurdish movement is a disgusting and unacceptable approach, said Besê Hozat. Anyone who advocates for a constitutional state in Turkey “must take a stand on this”, she said, adding: "On Imrali, Turkish and international law is being violated. The system of isolation that has been in place for over 25 years has taken on an absolute form in the last four years. This system is spreading throughout Turkey. A regime of isolation and torture now prevails in all jails. Prisoners who have served their sentences are not released. Seriously ill people are dying in prison. Eighty-year-olds are being arrested and put in prison. Small children are growing up in prison.”

Hozat continued: “The lawlessness established on Imrali has spread to the whole of Turkey and is being used in concentrated form against Kurdish politicians and against revolutionary people. What do all the writers and intellectuals who define themselves as leftists, democrats and advocates of the law in Turkey say about this? If they can't think of anything, why do they see themselves as intellectuals?"

Besê Hozat described the way the lawlessness on Imrali is being dealt with as a litmus test that shows the level of real opposition. At the same time, she said, it also shows how important the fight for Öcalan's release is. "Actually, everything is a result of the freedom offensive. It is the point to which this offensive has brought the fascist regime. It has lost its balance and does not know what to do."

It is now important to continue the legal and political fight. The torture system on Imrali has been placed on the agenda of the United Nations and the Council of Europe, and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will discuss it in September. Hozat added: "The ECHR said years ago that what is happening on Imrali is torture and violates rights." Europe is still watching and is even participating. The struggle has resulted in international institutions addressing this issue. "We must keep at it and must not let up now," said the KCK Executive Council co-chair, underlining once again that the situation on Imrali is synonymous with the Kurdish question and Abdullah Öcalan is the person to contact for a democratic solution.