Öcalan: I am in isolation, cannot present proper defense

The first hearing of the suit brought by PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan's lawyers against Greece will be held at the Court of First Instance of Athens on November 9th.

The international plot against PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) Leader Abdullah Öcalan has left 16 years behind. The legal struggle for the exposure of the plot, continues.

The Kurdish leader has sent a letter to his lawyers who will hold a press conference in Athens on November 4 as part of the suit brought against Greece in relation to the international plot. “It is not possible for me to develop a proper defense under the current conditions of aggravated isolation”, he said.

FIRST SUIT BROUGHT AGAINST THE PLOT

Lawyers from Asrın Law Office, which Öcalan's advocates are affiliated with, brought the suit against Greece, one of the major actors in the plot, in 2008 with an aim to condemn the international plot in the international arena and expose the "pirate law" imposed on Kurds in the person of the Kurdish leader. The first hearing of the suit will be held at the Court of First Instance of Athens on November 9th.

As part of the suit which constitutes a first of its kind in the scope of the international plot against the Kurdish people, Öcalan's lawyers are currently having talks with the witnesses, politicians, jurists and journalists of the time. The lawyers and the Kurdish leader's niece HDP Urfa Deputy Dilek Öcalan will hold a press conference on November 4th to brief the public on the subject.

Lawyers for Asrın Law Office have presented the testimonies of witnesses of the time to the court by means of lawyer Yannis Rachiotis from Athens Bar Association, who will also participate in the suit in representation of Öcalan.

During the presentation at the court, attorneys for Öcalan will reveal with evidences the Kurdish leader's unlawful eviction from the Greek land after the non-proceeding of his request for asylum, and the disobedience of Greece to the international refugee law.

The hearing to be held at 10:00 on November 9 will also be followed by law groups from various countries.

COMPENSATION TO BE DONATED TO A GREEK PUBLIC ONSTITUTION

Should the court establish an unlawfulness and convict Greece to indemnity, Öcalan's lawyers will donate the compensation to a Greek public institution in consideration of the economic crisis going on in the country.

Lawyers said the donation of the compensation to a public institution was not a gesture but a natural mission required by Öcalan and Kurdish people's long-time friendship with the Greek people.

In the meantime, the Kurdish leader will not be granted a direct participation in the hearing due to the ongoing isolation imposed on him by the Turkish state, as a result of which he has been denied meetings with his lawyers for over 4 years now, and held in aggravated isolation since April 5.

ANSWER FROM ÖCALAN

While the Kurdish leader's lawyers tried to reach him through a letter before the hearing, he has also sent a letter to them, dated October 14, which says; "It is not possible for me to develop a proper defense under the current conditions of aggravated isolation. My lawyers can make an influential presentation on the basis of my statements of defense to Athens and with a reference to other defense and assessments made by my side.”