ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The nephew of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), told Rudaw English on Tuesday that the family have no information on his condition following rumors that he has died in Turkish detention. “Since April 27 of last year, we have been unaware of Mr. Ocalan’s health and daily life,” Omer Ocalan, nephew of the PKK leader, told Rudaw English on Tuesday. Rumors circulated on social media on Sunday that Ocalan had passed away in prison, alarming both the leader’s family and his lawyers who have been uncertain of his health condition since Ocalan’s older brother Mehmet spoke with him on the phone on April 27, 2020. Following the phone call, Mehmet told Rudaw English that his brother was in a “good condition.” Many of Ocalan’s supporters were concerned about their leader's condition before the phone call, following the spread of coronavirus in Turkey and the confirmation of cases in jails at the time. Omer, a lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), said he wondered why the government was not looking into who published the rumors with the same rigor they apply to identify and arrest politicians who share posts on social media that criticize the government. “The government can identify these pages if it desires,” he said. The lawmaker also said that he made a request to the Turkish health ministry on Tuesday for his family to be able to see Ocalan, “but there was no response – neither positive nor negative.” Several other visit requests have been left without a response by the ministry, he said. The Public Prosecutor in Bursa, the province Ocalan is being held in, described the rumors as "unfounded," saying that the PKK leader "is alive and in good health." However, Ocalan’s nephew said that a dismissal of the rumors from the government would not provide them any relief “because we do not trust it”. The only way to learn the truth about Ocalan’s health and reassure his relatives is to “allow his family and lawyers to meet with him.” Ocalan formed the PKK in 1978 and began its armed struggle against Turkish state in 1984. Ankara considers it a terrorist organization and has conducted military operations against the group at home and abroad. Ocalan was imprisoned following his arrest in Nairobi in 1999. He was tracked down in the Kenyan capital after being expelled from Syria, where he was based from 1979 to 1998. Despite being incarcerated on Imrali Island in the Sea of Marmara with limited access to his lawyers and family, the 73-year-old remains an influential figure for many Kurds, especially in Turkey and Syria. He is held at Imrali along with three other PKK officials – Omer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yildirim, and Veysi Aktas. Like Ocalan, their fate also remains unclear, according to a statement from Asrin Law Office, whose lawyers represent the four prisoners. The lawyers said in the statement that their last meeting with Ocalan was on August 7, 2019. Regarding the claims about Ocalan’s death, the legal office said “we do not know where these claims have come from.” Such rumors originate and spread from time to time, but what is important for us is that these claims regarding Mr. Ocalan occur periodically. Undoubtedly, the most important reason for this is the severe isolation imposed on Imarli and the fact that we are completely deprived of opportunities to receive any information and make any observations.” “These allegations raise serious concerns that need to be cleared up. To end this, communication with Imrali should be allowed as soon as possible,” it added. The PKK leader has rarely been granted meetings with his lawyers or family. His last face-to-face meeting with the same brother, Mehmet, was on March 3, 2020 following reports of a fire near the prison he is held at. Ocalan’s supporters and the HDP continue to call for the authorities to end the leader’s isolation.
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