23 well-known personalities in Austria, including representatives of trade unions, political parties, human rights organizations, activists, academics, lawyers and journalists, demanded the president of the CPT, Mitchell, to promote a delegation to Imrali to verify the condition of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan.

The letter said: "

As members of a group of representatives of various non-governmental organisations, trade unions, political parties, peace and human rights organisations, activists, academics, professors, lawyers and journalists, we would like to hereby make an urgent call on you.

For 38 months, Abdullah Öcalan, who is regarded by millions of Kurds as their legitimate political representative, has been held by the Turkish state in an extreme form of solitary confinement on the prison island of Imrali. Turkey has made Mr Öcalan ‘disappear’ by way of his inhumane isolation – as if he no longer existed – which is contrary to human rights."

The letter continued: "He has been denied any contact with the outside world, including his lawyers and his family, for over three years now. Throughout this period, Turkey has attempted to literally turn the island of Imrali into a ‘floating coffin’. Mr Öcalan, who is now 75 years old, has been subjected to isolation torture for 25 years, with no information about his health reaching the public in the last three years. At present, not even his whereabouts can be confirmed. Yet, his state of health is a matter of great concern for many Kurds.

We would therefore like to ask you, the CPT, to take action. As the CPT, you have the right and the responsibility to visit all detention centres of the states that have signed the Convention, including Turkey. This gives you the opportunity to send a team of experts to Imrali, where the Turkish government is obliged to grant you unrestricted access. You have the opportunity to visit the prison where Mr Öcalan is detained and you must be allowed to meet him in person so that he can communicate freely with you."

The letter added: "We would like to ask you, the CPT, to act in accordance with Article 3 of the Statute of the Council of Europe, which states: ‘Every member of the Council of Europe must accept the principles of the rule of law and of the enjoyment by all persons within its jurisdiction of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and collaborate sincerely and effectively in the realisation of the aim of the Council as specified in Chapter I.’ Mr Öcalan is a citizen of a Council of Europe member state that has denied him his human rights for two and a half decades and that has also denied him the right to meet his lawyers and communicate with his family for three years.

We urge you to send a delegation to Imrali immediately to speak to Mr Öcalan and find out more about his welfare. It would be highly desirable if you could urge Turkey to finally grant Mr Öcalan the fundamental right to meet his family and lawyers. Such action is crucial to ensure that Turkey fully honours its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe. This would help resolve a pressing human rights issue and address the concerns of millions of Kurds. It could also revitalise the spirit of reconciliation that is necessary for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey."

The letter was signed by: 

-Katerina Anastasiou - KPÖ Federal Spokesperson
-Berivan Aslan - GRÜNE Member of the Vienna State Parliament
-Walter Baier - President of the Party of the European Left
-Dr. Ernst Berger - Doctor at the Medical University of Vienna
-Şenol Grasl-Akkılıç - Volkshilfe Vienna
-Dipl.Eng. Beransch Hartunian-Tahmasians - President of the Austro-Armenian Cultural Association
-Dr. Cecilia Heiss - Hemayat Care Center for Survivors of Torture and War
-Prof. Dr. Franz Klein - University of Vienna
-Robert Krotzer - KPÖ Graz City Council Member
-Nikolaus Kunrath - Member of the Vienna State Parliament, Greens
-Clemens Lahner - Lawyer
-Dr. Ali Mazoudji - Author
-Frederike Neuner - Retired
-Dr. Azad Noree - Author
-Doron Rabinovici - Author
-Gerhard Ruiss - Author
-Selma Schacht - Council Member of the Chamber of Labor in charge of the KOIntern in Vienna
-Anselm Schindler - Writer and Activist
-Gabriele Schmidt - Vienna Chamber of Labor
-Tobias Schweiger - KPÖ Federal Spokesperson
-Barbara Steiner - Political scientist, Director of Transform Europe
-Samuel Stuhlpfarrer - TAGEBUCH Editor-in-Chief
-Prof. Fred Turnheim - International Media Institute