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<p>We have studied both the documentary film and report. Our position on the Kurdish
issue is unchanged. Mr Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, is in our
view a convicted terrorist. We hope that a peace process can be resumed in the future
and have provided funding to a number of civil society organisations in Turkey seeking
to build dialogue between different relevant actors on the Kurdish issue.</p><p>Regarding
Mr Öcalan's imprisonment, we expect Turkey to respect its international obligations
with regard to prison conditions. This includes acting on the recommendations of the
Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) of the Council of Europe concerning
prisoner association, isolation and access. When raising Mr Öcalan's case with the
Turkish authorities, we have encouraged them to implement the recommendations made
by the CPT following their visit to the prison in 2016. In this regard, we note the
fact that Mr Öcalan was granted access to two lawyers on 2 May. We also note that
the CPT paid a further visit to Imrali prison in mid-May, and that the Turkish Minister
of Justice has this month lifted the court restriction on lawyers' visits to Imrali
prison. We welcome these positive developments.</p>
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