In a statement on Tuesday, the Swiss Committee for Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan called for an immediate meeting with the Kurdish leader amid growing concerns about his life and safety in prison.

“A delegation of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) recently visited the İmralı Island Prison but could not meet with Öcalan. Although it had been a long time since the last meeting with Öcalan, none of the members of the delegation saw him. This is a very disturbing reality for us,” the statement said.

“Öcalan's companions and we are worried about him. We ask the Turkish government to urgently provide information about his situation and to allow a meeting with him. We reiterate our call for the immediate release of Öcalan,” the statement added.

Members of the Swiss Committee for Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan include the following:

Basel BastA Party Co-Chair Sina Deiss, Socialist Party (SP) Federal Parliament Member Laurence Fehlmann Rielle, former National Assembly Member and OSCE Commission Chair Margret Kiener Nellen, National Assembly member Stefanie Prezioso Batou, Oncologist and National Parliament advisor Franco Cavalli, National Political Consultancy member and Council of Europe ambassador Dick Marty, Green Party Deputy and Green Party Foreign Relations Spokesperson Nicolas Walder, Swiss Democratic Kurdish Council (CDK-S) foreign relations spokesperson Ahmet Yaman and Secretary of the Swiss Leadership Committee Dr. Beppe Savary Borioli.