Abdullah Öcalan criticises politics 

2025-09-22 12:14:32


	 

	Rozerin Gültekin

	 

	ISTANBUL - Raziye Öztürk, a lawyer from Asrın Law Office who met with her client Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı after many years, said, "Mr. Öcalan stated that the political arena has shown a weak will to take ownership of the process. She added, “He noted that the main issue is being ignored in favor of pursuing interests and profits, and that this is what the struggle is about.”

	 

	Lawyers from the Asrın Law Firm met with Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan at the Imrali F-Type High Security Closed Prison on September 15. In the information shared by Asrın Law Office regarding the lawyer meeting that took place after 2019, it was stated that Abdullah Öcalan pointed out the need for interim laws and legal regulations.

	 

	Raziye Öztürk, one of the lawyers from Asrın Law Office who participated in the meeting, spoke to our agency about the meeting.

	 

	Opinions arbitrarily blocked for years

	 

	Raziye Öztürk, who reported on the blocking of lawyer visits alongside the deepening isolation at Imrali prison over the years, stated, "Essentially, the Imrali island prison, built on the concept of isolation throughout its history, entered a new phase with Mr. Öcalan's transfer to Imrali. Mr. Öcalan was subjected to isolation that went through different stages over 27 years, but deepened and intensified each time. It began with an intensified isolation regime in the early years, gradually turned into absolute isolation, and finally resulted in an extraordinary situation where all communication channels were closed. The same applies to lawyer visits. From 2011 to 2019, not a single meeting took place. In 2019, only five limited meetings were allowed, and then they were stopped again. Since that day, for more than six years now, all our requests have been blocked on arbitrary and legally unfounded grounds." 

	 

	Lawyer visit six years later

	 

	Raziye Öztürk stated that, after six years of restrictions, lawyers from Asrın Law Firm met with both Abdullah Öcalan and Hamili Yıldırım and Ömer Hayri Konar, who are in Imrali. "On September 15, 2025, three of us lawyers from Asrın Law Firm went to Imrali. That day, for the first time in years, we were able to see Mr. Öcalan and our other clients. We were able to meet with Mr. Öcalan for about an hour and a half and with our other clients for half an hour each. For our clients, Mr. Hamili Yıldırım and Mr. Ömer Hayri Konar, this meeting was particularly important as it was their first meeting with a lawyer in over 10 years. 

	 

	Unfortunately, the thousands of hours of lawyer visitation rights they would have had in another prison were completely denied here. Ultimately, all these meetings took place with the recording device turned on and under the supervision of the staff. Mr. Öcalan and our other clients were in high spirits, strong, and determined. We once again witnessed Mr. Öcalan's determination to successfully carry out and conclude his ‘Call for Peace and a Democratic Society’. He had special greetings for all the people, especially his comrades in prison, and for everyone working and contributing to the democratic society process outside."

	 

	‘A sign that the legal door is opening’

	 

	Raziye Öztürk shared Abdullah Öcalan's assessment of the stage reached in the “Peace and Democratic Society” process, stating: "Our visit to Imrali coincided with the first day of the Ministers' Committee meeting. For this reason, one of Mr. Öcalan's first topics of assessment was this meeting and the Committee's approach. He stated that although the right to hope is associated with him, at this stage it has reached a point that concerns thousands of people, and that if they are serious and sincere, they can play a role in the solution, otherwise they will choose to stall. 

	 

	Following this determination, he stated that at this stage, it was necessary to give the Kurdish issue, which had been kept outside the law for a century, a legal form and to overcome it. He stated that when the Committee's first meeting day, our transfer to the island, and the assessments of the legal dimension of the issue that have begun to be made at the state and political levels are combined, this can be interpreted as a sign that the legal door is opening."

	 

	‘Problems can be overcome with legal reforms’

	 

	Raziye Öztürk, who commented on the interim laws and democratic law highlighted by Abdullah Öcalan, said, “It is undoubtedly a known fact that, due to its nature, the implementation method of this type of process will not proceed unilaterally. Since October, a congress has been convened at Mr. Öcalan's call, followed by the dissolution of the organization and the declaration of an end to armed struggle. As a gesture of goodwill after the dissolution, a 30-person guerrilla group publicly burned their weapons before the world. Following these developments, which took place within a very short period of nine months, it is only natural that the next phase should be the implementation of ‘democratic integration’ and ‘freedom laws’. 

	 

	Mr. Öcalan also made assessments based on these developments following the initiative he took, stating that the Kurdish issue has many political, social, economic, and cultural dimensions and that this can only be overcome through legal reforms. He stated that in this process, which we can call a transition period, it is necessary to take steps towards this by enacting interim laws as a requirement of becoming a normal state."

	 

	‘Mr. Öcalan's first assessment concerned the right to hope’

	 

	Speaking about Abdullah Öcalan's decision regarding the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers' ruling on the “right to hope,” Raziye Öztürk said, "During our meeting in Imrali, Mr. Öcalan's first assessment concerned the 'right to hope.' Unfortunately, up to this point, the Committee of Ministers has not taken an approach consistent with the finding that the non-recognition of the right to hope is ‘contrary to the prohibition of torture,’ and we have repeatedly stated, and continue to state, that we consider this to be a political stance. The fact that such an issue, which directly affects thousands of people, was only brought to the agenda after 7 years and that no effective steps have been taken despite the passage of 12 years makes it very difficult to address this issue within a legal framework. 

	 

	Furthermore, the Committee's granting of a lengthy nine-month period for Turkey to undertake legal reforms regarding the right to hope and provide information on this matter was an approach that confirmed its delaying and postponing stance. However, we would like to emphasize that we consider it significant that the Committee, within the framework of the “Peace and Democratic Society Process,” attributed meaning to the commission established within the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and indicated that the commission's platform could be used in this regard.  

	 

	In this context, we believe that the commission should act in accordance with the requirements of the peace and democratic society process and that it is imperative that it listen to Mr. Öcalan, who is both the holder of the right to hope and the most important stakeholder in the process, without further delay. Again, as stated in the interim decision of the Committee of Ministers, it is imperative that the Parliament accept the proposed legislation submitted to them as soon as possible and make the necessary legal arrangements, as it is a requirement of both law and politics to secure Mr. Öcalan's physical freedom.”

	 

	Individual isolation can only be overcome by the individual themselves

	 

	Raziye Öztürk conveyed Abdullah Öcalan's assessment of the political sphere's ownership of the process and the responsibility falling on social segments as follows: "Following our comprehensive presentation regarding his legal situation and ongoing appeals in national and international judicial mechanisms concerning his isolation and lack of access to information, Mr. Öcalan addressed the isolation imposed on society, specifically on us, and stated that this can only be overcome by the individual being ‘themselves’. He explained the concept of ‘selfhood’ through the phrase ‘Cemilê Çeto kerê keto’. Çeto is someone who fled his Kurdishness and betrayed his people. While he thought he would be rewarded for his betrayal, he was not even acknowledged as a counterpart because of his behavior and was hanged. Using this example, Mr. Öcalan emphasized the importance of the individual and society reconstructing themselves through their language, culture, history, in short, their entire reality, in accordance with communal values, and stated that only on this basis can they be liberated."

	 

	Criticism directed at the political arena

	 

	Raziye Öztürk, who used the phrase, “Mr. Öcalan criticized the political arena for showing weak will in terms of taking ownership of the process,” stated, "He determined that the main issue was being ignored in favor of pursuing interests and profits, and that this was the subject of conflict. During the meeting, he reiterated his insistence on a shared life within the framework of a democratic nation and a democratic republic project, and that he possesses the theoretical and practical power to implement this. He reiterated that it is crucial for politics to act accordingly, take initiative in a manner commensurate with this process, and play an active role in building peace."

	 

	Call for women to prepare for the ultimate success of the process

	 

	Emphasizing Abdullah Öcalan's emphasis on women's participation in the process, Raziye Öztürk said, "Mr. Öcalan stated that the first exploitation in social history occurred in the field of gender and built the new period paradigm on the basis of women's freedom. In this context, he attaches great importance to women playing a leading role in the process of building the new period. She stated that she had received some letters from prisons during the process and was particularly impressed by the philosophical and ideological issues raised, especially by young women. She conveyed special greetings to us, asking with great curiosity and excitement about the names of some women she knew in prisons. She called on women and young people to prepare for the ultimate success of the ‘Democratic Society and Peace’ process.”

	 

	Lawyer visits must continue

	 

	Stating that lawyer visits must take place systematically, Raziye Öztürk said, "According to national legislation, there is no obstacle preventing us lawyers from meeting with our clients during working hours. We have stated that family and lawyer visits to Imrali Island Prison are being unlawfully obstructed and that this obstruction is indicative of the isolation policy applied in Imrali and the preference for conflict and violence over political means. He said, “Both as a requirement for the application of the law and in terms of the political stage reached, all obstacles to lawyer visits must be removed, and visits must take place in a regular and systematic manner.”