Prosecutor denies Öcalan suffered heart spasm in prison
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:31 pm“Prosecutor denies Öcalan suffered heart spasm in prison
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
ANKARA - TDN with AP
A Turkish prosecutor denied on Tuesday that imprisoned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan had suffered a heart spasm overnight.
A Turkish official had said earlier that the 57-year-old Öcalan experienced a mild heart problem related to his being overweight but that he was in a stable condition. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
But the prosecutor's office that oversees the prison island of İmrali, where Öcalan is the sole inmate, denied that the PKK leader had a heart problem.
"He underwent his routine medical check this morning; there is nothing negative in his health," Deputy Prosecutor Vural Ekiz told The Associated Press by telephone. "The reported incident is not true."
Öcalan's lawyer, Bekir Kaya, said he was also told by Ekiz that Öcalan was fine and had suffered no heart spasm.
Öcalan has been in solitary confinement on the prison island of İmrali, near Istanbul, since his capture in 1999. The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in the Southeast since 1984, with the conflict claiming about 37,000 lives.
His terrorist group and sympathizers have long expressed concern about Ocalan's health and demanded that he must be moved out of solitary confinement.
But a delegation from the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture, which visited Öcalan on the island in 1999, said the Öcalan's cell was of a high standard, well lit and suitably equipped.
Turkey also maintains that doctors closely monitor Öcalan's health.
Fighting in Turkey's Southeast tapered off after a PKK cease-fire in 1999. But there has been a surge in violence since June 1, 2004, when the PKK declared an end to the cease-fire, saying Turkey had not responded in kind.
The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. ”
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/arti ... wsid=35189
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
ANKARA - TDN with AP
A Turkish prosecutor denied on Tuesday that imprisoned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan had suffered a heart spasm overnight.
A Turkish official had said earlier that the 57-year-old Öcalan experienced a mild heart problem related to his being overweight but that he was in a stable condition. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
But the prosecutor's office that oversees the prison island of İmrali, where Öcalan is the sole inmate, denied that the PKK leader had a heart problem.
"He underwent his routine medical check this morning; there is nothing negative in his health," Deputy Prosecutor Vural Ekiz told The Associated Press by telephone. "The reported incident is not true."
Öcalan's lawyer, Bekir Kaya, said he was also told by Ekiz that Öcalan was fine and had suffered no heart spasm.
Öcalan has been in solitary confinement on the prison island of İmrali, near Istanbul, since his capture in 1999. The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in the Southeast since 1984, with the conflict claiming about 37,000 lives.
His terrorist group and sympathizers have long expressed concern about Ocalan's health and demanded that he must be moved out of solitary confinement.
But a delegation from the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture, which visited Öcalan on the island in 1999, said the Öcalan's cell was of a high standard, well lit and suitably equipped.
Turkey also maintains that doctors closely monitor Öcalan's health.
Fighting in Turkey's Southeast tapered off after a PKK cease-fire in 1999. But there has been a surge in violence since June 1, 2004, when the PKK declared an end to the cease-fire, saying Turkey had not responded in kind.
The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. ”
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/arti ... wsid=35189