Lawyers of Abdullah Öcalan apply to visit Imrali

Lawyers of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan have once again applied to visit their client in Imrali.

Lawyers of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan, Raziye Öztürk, Nevroz Uysal, Mazlum Dinç and Ibrahim Bilmez, applied to Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to be granted a visit after the allegations spread on social media about the wellbeing of their client.

On 14 March rumours were spread on social media claiming that Öcalan had died in prison. Immediately protests were organised around the world demanding an urgent visit by the lawyers to Imrali.

Last Thursday, March 25th, Öcalan was able to talk with his brother Mehmet Öcalan. The short phone conversation happened about a year after a previous call, on 27 April 2020, and it is the first time since then that Öcalan had an actual contact with someone outside.

The phone conversation was held under the supervision of the Urfa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and was very short. The call was interrupted pretty soon. Likewise, the phone call by another prisoner on Imrali, Hamili Yıldırım, with his family was also abruptly interrupted. It was reported that the other two prisoners, Ömer Hayri Konar and Veysi Aktaş, did not make the phone call they were offered to protest isolation.

All applications for visit have been so far rejected or gone unanswered.