CENTRAL NEWS
CPT visits Imrali Prison following their own harassment of Nahide Zengin who had been on Hunger Strike for 40 days. They published a long statement about the activities they carried out during their delegation:
“Our main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons detained by law enforcement agencies. Their delegation also went to Imralı F-type High-Security Prison, in order to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of all (four) prisoners. In this connection, particular attention was paid to the communal activities offered to the prisoners and the application in practice of their right to receive visits from relatives and lawyers”.
But what does this mean in terms of the Kurdish struggle? Again, as with every other time a resistance starts to irritate organisations and states, we are thrown a little bit of hope. This hope may be dangerous for people who have not experienced 40 years of special warfare.
As per the news shared by the lawyers of The Peoples Leader three days ago, the decision to lift the ban of visits on Abdullah Ocalan is not new. The illegal ban was lifted on April 17, allowing the visit of 2nd May. Before this, the last time he had seen his lawyers was April, 2011.
What one must consider is whether it is a coincidence that The Peoples Leader is able to see his lawyer, just days before the emergency CPT visit was arranged. It is also important to understand that the lawyers of The Peoples leader are still waiting for a response in regards to their next visit, but now that CPT is gone, it will most likely be delayed.
As we have a wider look at the current happenings, it becomes apparent that even though the outcomes of the CPT visit are ambiguous, we must reject any outcome that doesn’t meet the demands of the hunger strikes and death fasts. The visit which aims to “regulate” the imprisonment of the leader of millions, is for the State. Not the people.
