ANKARA - İHD applied to the Ministry of Justice to send a delegation to İmralı Type F High Security Prison.

The Human Rights Association (İHD) applied to the Ministry of Justice to send a delegation to İmralı Type F High Security Penitentiary Institution. In the petition submitted by the association to the ministry, it was stated that many applications were made to the association regarding PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, Hamili Yıldırım, Ömer Hayri Konar and Veysi Aktaş, who are in the İmralı Type F High Security Penal Institution, and their families and lawyers have not been allowed to meet with their families and lawyers for about three years, and said: "In the said applications, there are prisoners in the institution. The families and lawyers of the individuals stated that they could not receive any news from their relatives and clients, that there was a complete isolation in the institution; therefore, they wanted an independent delegation to visit the İmralı Type F High Security Penitentiary Institution. In addition, in the letters sent to our association by prisoners in various penal institutions, they started a hunger strike because they could not receive any news from Abdullah Öcalan and his friends in the İmralı Type F High Security Penal Institution."

INDEPENDENT DELEGATION SHOULD GO TO IMRALI

Reminding that IHD demands the immediate end of all kinds of discriminatory practices in the penal system as a requirement of its anti-discrimination rights advocacy, the following statements were included in the petition: "Our association has stated on various occasions that a prison consisting of a single person inevitably creates complete isolation and that this situation is against universal human rights, the prison standards set by both the Council of Europe and the United Nations, of which Turkey is a member, and the rights of convicts. Considering the reasons explained above and the applicants' claims, we believe that there is a need to reduce the tension within the country and that an independent and impartial delegation should be formed to visit the İmralı Type F High Security Penitentiary Institution. For this reason, we hope that the necessary permissions will be granted for a delegation formed by the Human Rights Association to visit İmralı Prison.”