STRASBOURG, France // The European Court of Human Rights condemned Turkey on Tuesday over its “inhuman” treatment of jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The court ruled that holding the founder of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in isolation for more than a decade on the high-security island prison of Imrali constituted mistreatment by the Turkish authorities.
Mr Ocalan, who has been behind bars since his capture in 1999 and subsequent conviction for treason, was the sole prisoner on Imrali until the conditions of his detention were eased in 2009.
The court in Strasbourg said Turkey had violated Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights which prohibits “inhuman or degrading treatment”, over his conditions up until 2009 but not since.
The judges also ruled it had violated the convention by sentencing him to life in prison without any possibility of release.
Mr Ocalan, 64, was captured by Turkish authorities in Nairobi in February 1999 and condemned to death for treason over the PKK’s armed struggle for Kurdish self-rule.
The sentence was commuted to life in prison when Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2002.
Imrali, which lies off Istanbul, is notorious as the prison in the film “Midnight Express”, based on the true story of a US student who escaped after being caught trying to smuggle hash out of Turkey.
Mr Ocalan had complained about the irreducible nature of his sentence, and about the conditions of his detention, in particular his social isolation and restrictions on communication with members of his family and his lawyers.
He also claimed he was being poisoned, but the court said this complaint was “manifestly ill-founded”.
Mr Ocalan, known as “Apo” or uncle to Kurds, was once the nemesis of the Turkish state but last year announced a PKK ceasefire after months of clandestine talks with Turkey’s secret services.
However the peace process has been in limbo since November after the government and the PKK traded accusations that the other side had failed to respect their part of the truce.
The PKK, which is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and much of the international community, launched its insurgency in the south-east in 1984. It has claimed the lives of about 45,000 people.
* Agence France-Presse
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
