ANKARA - Deputies from the DEM Party called the Human Rights Watch to an emergency meeting to visit PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan. IHIK stated that there was not a quorum to hold a meeting and argued that it was not possible to convene.
PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held in a solitary cell under absolute isolation conditions in the High Security Prison on Imralı Island for 25 years and has not been heard from him for 3 years. Deputies of the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) applied to the Human Rights Investigation Commission (IHIK) on November 16 to visit and examine Imralı Island.
Responding to this demand on December 7, IHIK shared that the demand was recorded and that the PKK Leader could be visited if the Sub-Commission within it deems it appropriate. Thereupon, DEM Party deputies applied to the Sub-Committee for an "urgent meeting" and examination and visit on December 12.
THE MEETING DID NOT MAKE A DECISION
Responding to this application today, IHIK pointed out Article 26 of the Parliament's statute and stated that only the chair of the commission can call a meeting in this article. Pointing to the clause in the fourth paragraph of the same article, IHIK shared that it was envisaged that the commission could convene upon the demand of one-third of the commission members, but that only Nevroz Uysal, among the deputies who applied, was a member of the commission and therefore it was not technically possible for the commission to convene. IHIK added that the number of commission members is 10 and a meeting decision can be taken if at least one-third of them demand it.
In its response, IHIK also shared that they met at the request of its members and that they convened on January 31 in line with a similar demand from Uysal, but the Sub-Commission also rejected this request.