The campaign “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, solution to the Kurdish issue”, which was launched to end the isolation of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has not been heard from in Imrali Type F High Security Prison for 42 months, and to ensure his physical freedom, continues. Celalettin Yalçın, a prisoner journalist who took part in the hunger strike protests that started on November 27 and ended on April 4 in Turkish prisons within the scope of the campaign, as well as the boycott of the courts and the refusal to make phone calls and family visits, answered the questions of Mezopotamya Agency (MA) about the prisoners' protests and the situation in prison.

 

Yalçın, who has been imprisoned in Marmara Prison No. 5 since November 9, 2023, stated that the lack of solution and deadlock in the Kurdish issue has escalated the war policies. He said that it has been proven by many developments, especially the “Solution Process” initiated between 2013 and 2015, that the only interlocutor for the solution of the Kurdish issue is PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan. 

 

Stating that the isolation of Öcalan imposes an insoluble solution to the Kurdish issue, Yalçın said: “The solution to the Kurdish issue, which is the biggest obstacle to Turkey's democratization, depends on breaking the isolation. We, as prisoners in prison, could not remain bystanders to this situation. Therefore, we started such an action in order to raise sensitivity against the isolation that has spread to the society and to fulfill our duties and responsibilities.”

 

 'OUR MAIN ISSUE IS THE KURDISH ISSUE'

 

Stating that prisons have been fulfilling their responsibility for the solution of the Kurdish issue and the lifting of the isolation since the past, “Undoubtedly, prisoners in prison have always been sensitive about the developments outside. Because the actions outside are directly reflected in prisons. Even if we are within four walls, our main problem is the Kurdish issue. We discuss this issue every minute of the day and continue our uninterrupted struggle for it. For this reason, in line with the political developments outside, we are also involved in the process with our actions in prisons” he said. 

 

'PRISONS ARE AREAS WHERE THE RESISTANCE CONTINUES'

 

Stating that prisons are areas where resistance continues uninterruptedly, Yalçın pointed to the boycott actions they ended on July 3 after the hunger strikes and said: “After the hunger strike, we continued our action by boycotting. Of course, this severed all our ties with the outside world. However, since it was an action of our own will, no serious problems arose. Our aim was to sensitize the whole public opinion, especially our families, about the isolation, which is unprecedented in the world.”

 

'ACTIONS WILL CONTINUE'

 

Emphasizing that protests will continue in prisons as long as isolation continues, Yalçın said: “The struggle outside is the biggest source of morale for us. However, as long as the isolation is not broken, we can state that our actions are insufficient. Therefore, we must continue our democratic protests uninterruptedly with different ways and methods. The ways and methods we will use must be deterrent and coercive. Press releases, especially press releases inside a building, unfortunately do not yield any results. They also do not create a serious public opinion. For this reason, we need to go from house to house, door to door and keep the isolation and the Kurdish issue on our lips. At a time when the press has been so much pinched and uniformized, it is necessary to establish direct contact with the public.”

 

'RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN PRISONS'

 

Emphasizing that all segments living in Turkey should be sensitive against isolation, Yalçın said: “Because isolation is an intervention in every aspect of our lives. Isolation means war. As a matter of fact, whenever the doors of İmralı are closed, war escalates in Turkey and Kurdistan. War means economic crisis. The reason for the recent hikes and the decrease in purchasing power is undoubtedly the ongoing war. Everyone should be sensitive to say 'stop' to the isolation. Let us not forget that isolation brings war, poverty, death and many other problems. Another call is about the rights violations in prisons.”

  

CALL FOR SENSITIVITY

 

Yalçın asked for public sensitivity against the violations in prisons and said: “The absolute isolation in İmralı has spread to all prisons in Turkey and Kurdistan and even 1 percent of our rights are not given. The ventilation is covered with wires. This is a way of saying 'It is forbidden to look at the sky'. Again, our cultural and social rights have been completely shelved. We cannot get any response from the authorities we have applied to on this issue. For this reason, we call on everyone to be on duty and sensitive to the violations of rights in prisons.” 

 

MA / Ferhat Sezgin