What's behind Ankara's decision to lift visit ban on jailed PKK leader?
The Turkish government's decision to allow family visits for Abdullah Ocalan may be linked to Ankara's ongoing operation in northwest Syria.
The Turkish government granted jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, 71, access to his family after a seven-month pause. Coming amid Turkey’s escalating war against Syrian regime forces in the northwestern province of Idlib, the move has sparked a flurry of speculation on the government’s motives.
On the face of things, the Turkish government granted permission for Ocalan's brother, Mehmet, to visit him on Imrali, the island prison where the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has been held since 1999, to allay concerns over his safety. Worries about Ocalan's well-being grew after authorities announced that a Feb. 27 forest fire on the island was now under control.
But the government’s assurances failed to assuage Kurdish fears that Ocalan was dead. A growing number of Kurds launched protests, mainly in Europe, demanding proof of life.
Ocalan was last allowed to see his brother Aug. 7, but the government has repeatedly spurned the demands of Ocalan's lawyers to see their client. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had authorized a visit from Ocalan's lawyers in May 2019, after an eight-year hiatus. The move was seen as a cynical attempt to harness Ocalan’s help to get the Kurds to vote for his Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate in the Istanbul mayoral redo election in June.
