Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan granted rare family visit

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), was granted a rare meeting with his brother on Tuesday after concerns were raised over his health following a fire on Imrali Island where he is being held. 

Asrin Law Office, whose lawyers handle the case of Ocalan and other PKK officials held in Imrali prison, issued a statement late on Tuesday saying Turkish authorities had permitted the PKK leader and two other PKK officials to see family members. 

Incarcerated since 1999, Ocalan has rarely been granted meetings with his lawyers or family. He last saw his legal team on August 7, 2019, and his brother Mehmet five days later. 

Regarded as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its NATO allies, the PKK has been in a decades-long war with the Turkish state, resulting in the deaths of more than 40,000 people of both sides, including civilians. 

Omer Ocalan, a lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), told Rudaw English the PKK leader’s health was “seemingly good”.  Mehmet is expected to reveal further details of the meeting in the coming days. 

A forest fire broke out on Imrali Island last week, raising concerns about Ocalan’s safety. Supporters held rallies to demand an update on his condition.

The HDP, which the Turkish state regularly accuses of being the political wing of the PKK, demanded an “immediate meeting” with Ocalan. 

“A meeting must be arranged between Mr Ocalan and his family and lawyers as soon as possible without waiting for tomorrow,” said HDP lawmaker Ayse Acar Basaran in a statement on February 27 when the fire broke out. 

Bekir Pakdemirli, Turkey’s agriculture and forestry minister, told reporters the fire did not spread anywhere near the prison. 

The governor of Bursa said the fire was caused by powerlines damaged in high winds, according to state media. 

Omer Ocalan said Tuesday’s meeting was made possible thanks to public pressure.  

Ocalan, 72, was imprisoned following his arrest in Nairobi, Kenya in 1999. He was tacked down after being expelled from Syria, where he was based from 1979 to 1998. 

Despite being in prison with limited access to his lawyers and family, Ocalan remains an influential figure for Kurds, especially in Turkey and Syria.