81 associations, trade unionists, academics from the Spanish state sent a letter to Dr. Alan Mitchell, President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment with "the desire to express and share with you the concerns of millions of Kurds and people in solidarity in the Spanish State regarding the situation of human rights and prisoners in Turkey. The degree of solitary confinement that many of them suffer, which reaches total isolation, is an obvious form of torture."

The letter said: "For the past 36 months, Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is seen by millions of Kurds as their legitimate political representative, has been held in an extreme form of incommunicado detention by the Turkish state on the prison island of Imrali. During this illegal and inhumane isolation, Mr. Öcalan has effectively been “disappeared” and dropped into a void of “non-existence,” as he is being denied all contact with the outside world, including his lawyers and close family members.

Throughout this period, Turkey has attempted to transform Imrali Island into a “floating coffin”. Mr. Öcalan, who is now 75 years old, has been subjected to cruel torture through isolation for 25 years, but over the last three years, no information at all has been provided concerning his health, giving cause for serious disquiet. At this point, even his whereabouts cannot be confirmed, and his physical condition is a highly sensitive issue for many Kurds who see him as embodying their national voice."

The letter continued: "It is for these compelling reasons that we are kindly asking you, the CPT, to take some immediate action. Only this will allay any fears. As the CPT, you are legally entitled to visit all places of detention of states which are party to the Convention, and this includes Turkey. This invests you with the powers and ability to send your team of experts to Imrali, where the Turkish government are obliged to grant you unrestricted access to visit Mr. Öcalan where he is being held captive and to allow you to interview him in private, so he can communicate with you in confidence free from any duress.

We would like the CPT to act in accordance with Article 3 of the CoE Statute, which states that: “Every member of the Council of Europe must accept the principles of the rule of law and the enjoyment by all persons within its jurisdiction of human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Mr. Öcalan is a citizen of a CoE member state that has been denying him his human rights for two and half decades, and for the last three years, has been depriving him of his basic legal rights to meet with his lawyers and speak with his family."

The letter added: "All we ask, with complete sincerity, is that you please carry out your responsibilities immediately by sending a delegation to visit Imrali Island to speak with Mr. Öcalan and check on his well-being. Following that, we would greatly appreciate it if you could encourage Turkey to allow him to receive a visit from his family and lawyers, to bring them into full compliance with CoE and CPT obligations. This would help address an urgent human rights issue and concern for millions of Kurds and could also renew the spirit of reconciliation, which is urgently needed to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue in Turkey.

With gratitude for your time and in the hope that you understand this as a heartfelt plea."

The letter was signed by: 

 Organizations 

*Agrupación Icaria Acontracorriente, Federación Anarquista Ibérica, Sevilla

*ARRAN, Barcelona

*Asamblea Antiespecista de Madrid

*Asamblea de Vivienda de Collado Villalba, Madrid

*Asociación Libre de la Abogacía, Madrid

*Apoyo Mutuo Aragón

*Asociación Cultural "Roberto el Pirata", Castro Urdiales, Cantabria

*Asociación Intersindical Solidaria, País Valencià

*Asociación Reciproka Subteno, Santa Cruz de Tenerife

*Ateneo Popular “Los Otros”, Burgos

*Colectivo de colombianos as Refugiados en Asturias "Luciano Romero Molina"

*Colectivo Guadauca, Badajoz

*Colectivo Vallekas Obrera, Madrid

*Colectivo Yretiemble!, Madrid

*Comisión Legal de Sol-15M, Madrid

*Comité de Solidaridad con América Latina de Asturias (COSAL), Asturias

*Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe (CSCA)

*Confederación General del Trabajo, CGT Confederal

*Confederación General del Trabajo, CGT Aragón y La Rioja

*Confederación General del Trabajo, CGT Sindicato Único de Burgos

*Confederación Intersindical Galega (CIG), Galiza

*Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, CNT Teruel, Aragón

*Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, CNT Colmenar Viejo, Madrid

*Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, CNT Comarcal Sur, Madrid

*CSOA Orbeko Etxea de Laudio, Euskal Herria

*Ecoloxistes n’Aición d’Asturies

*Fundación de los Comunes (red de colectivos nivel estatal)

*Intersindical Asturiana

*Intersindical – Confederación Sindical Catalana, Catalunya

*Confederacion Intersindical 

*Komite Internazionalistak, Euskal Herria

*Kurdistan Solidarity Network, United Kingdom

*Kurdistanekin Elkartasuna Ekimena, Euskal Herria

*La Comuna d’Asturies, de la Coordinadora Estatal de Apoyo a la Querella Argentina contra el franquismo (CEAQUA)

*Los Verdes- Equo Asturies

*Lumaltik Herriak, Bilbao, Bizkaia, País Vasco

*Madres contra la Represión, Madrid

*Organización Sindical de Trabajadores de Aragón, OSTA, Aragón

*Plataforma por la Defensa de la Salud y la Sanidad Publica Asturiana

*Revista "Viento Sur"

*Rojava Azadi Madrid

*Soldepaz- Pachakuti, colectivo internacionalista de Asturies

*Tercera Información, Madrid

*Women Defend Rojava, Murcia

*Zabaldi Elkartasunaren Etxea / La Casa de la Solidaridad, Iruñea/Pamplona, Navarra

 Representatives of organizations 

*Beatriu Cardona i Prats, Intersindical Valenciana, València, País Valencià

*Carmen Arnáiz, Secretaria de Acción Social, Confederación General del Trabajo, CGT

*Chabier Alegre Abril, Apoyo Mutuo Aragón y CNT, Teruel

*David Lázaro, Secretario General de OSTA Aragon

*José Raúl Rojas Andrés, Tercera Información, Madrid

*Manel Novo i Canyelles, Intersindical-CSC, Catalunya

*Néstor Cerezo Morquillas, Secretariado Permanente, Sindicato Único de Burgos CGT

*Isabel González, Confederacion Intersindical

*Olga Belenguer de Echave, Secretaria General de CGT Aragón-la Rioja

*Pablo Martín Carbajo, Colectivo Guadauca, Badajoz

*Paulo Carril Vázquez, Secretario General de Confederación Intersindical Galega, CIG, Galizia 

*Pedro Lobera, Relaciones Internacionales de la Organización Sindical de Trabajadores de Aragón, 11 OSTA, Aragón

*Ricardo Hoyos Brage, Asamblea de Vivienda de Collado Villalba, Madrid

*Vicent Maurí Genovés, Presidente de la Asociación Intersindical Solidaria, País Valencià

People

*Adrián Almazán Gómez, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Araba

*Begoña Landa Calvo, Castrillón, Asturias

*Benjamín Jiménez de la Hoz, Madrid

*Daniel García, Madrid

*Emilio Nevado Guerra, Castrillón, Asturias

*Estela Mateo Regueiro, Doctora en Filosofía, Mahón, Menorca

*Francisco José Marcellan Español, Catedrático Emérito de Matemática Aplicada, Universidad 
Carlos III, Madrid

*Javier Rodríguez Martín, Valladolid

*Juan Villasante Claramonte Sedaví, Valencia

*Maria Antònia Oliver Rotger, Barcelona

*Maria Letizia Episcopo, Pisa, Italy

*Marta Fernández García, Oviedo-Asturias

*Nelly Bocchi, Fidenza, Italy

*Nicoletta Manuzzato, periodista, Italy

*Nuria Pomposo Rodríguez, Soto de la Marina, Cantabria, Spain

*Pablo Nacarino Hernández, Spain

*Ricardo Hoyos Brage, Collado Mediano, Madrid

*Rubén de la Peña Martínez, Burgos

*Teresa Cortés Jurado, Parla, Madrid 

*Tiziano del Cotto, Villasanta MB, Italy

*Yanira Hermida Martín, Historiadora, La Orotava, Canarias

*José Miguel Sanemeterio