BDP’s women deputies demand to visit Öcalan

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

A group of women lawmakers from the ranks of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has applied to the Justice Ministry to be permitted to visit Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), for the New Year celebration.

BDP’s Deputy Parliamentary Group Leader Pervin Buldan submitted the petition to Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin Dec. 23, the Hürriyet Daily News has learned. Alongside Buldan, Co-Chairperson of the party Gültan Kışanak, Leyla Zana, Ayla Akat Ata, Emine Ayna, Sebahat Tuncel, Nursel Aydoğan and Mülkiye Birtane want to meet with Öcalan Dec. 30, two days before the New Year.

Öcalan is serving a life sentence at İmralı island prison in the Marmara Sea and was even denied to meet with his lawyers on the grounds that he was still sending instructions to the PKK through his lawyers.