PKK leader’s brother heads to İmralı

ISTANBUL

DHA Photo

Mehmet Öcalan is set to visit his brother, Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, today and has arrived at Gemlik, according to daily Hürriyet.

Three relatives of other prisoners are accompanying Öcalan’s brother on the visit. He was sent to the gendarmerie station to complete proceedings ahead of meeting his brother.

Öcalan’s last visit with brother took place Jan. 14 with an earlier face-to-face meeting occurring Nov. 17 after which Mehmet Öcalan passed on his brother’s words regarding the then-ongoing nationwide prison hunger strikes.

The visit comes during a week deemed highly crucial in the peace process as the government works to finalize names for the next İmralı visit. The first meeting between Öcalan and lawmakers took place Jan. 3 with independent deputy Ahmet Türk and Peace and Democracy (BDP) deputy Ayla Akat Ata in attendance.

Öcalan is currently serving a life sentence on İmralı island.