It is for State Parties to the Council of Europe Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to authorise publication of reports from the Committee on the Prevention of torture (the Committee). The UK hopes that Turkey, in line with its good practice of usually allowing publication, permits the Committee to publish the report of its September 2022 visit.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4210", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-05-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-05-11T15:57:05.46Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "208"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-04-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abdullah Öcalan"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will call on the Council of Europe\u2019s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to publish its findings regarding the solitary confinement of Mr Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı Prison arising from the Committee's visit to the prison during its visit to Turkey from 20 to 29 September 2022; and if not, why.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2018", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hylton"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hylton"} ], "uin" : "HL7438"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1150396", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1150396/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
\u200bThe former Minister for Europe raised this issue most recently on 13 May with the Turkish Ambassador. The United Kingdom has encouraged the Turkish authorities to implement the recommendations made by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) following their previous visit to the prison in 2016.<\/p>
The British Government engages closely with Turkey to encourage the full protection of fundamental rights, including with regard to the treatment of detainees. I emphasised the importance of these issues when I met the Turkish Ambassador in September. We shall continue to monitor the situation closely and maintain our support for legitimate and democratic Kurdish groups in Turkey.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4075", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Christopher Pincher"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Tamworth"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Christopher Pincher"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-10-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-10-25T11:02:47.803Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-10-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abdullah Öcalan"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Turkish Government on the imprisonment of Abdullah Ocalan.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/413", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Hilary Benn"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leeds Central"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Hilary Benn"} ], "uin" : "1584"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1135840", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1135840/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
\u200bThe UK Government has raised Mr Öcalan\u2019s case with the Turkish authorities a number of times. I raised the issue with the Turkish Ambassador on 13 May. I welcome the fact that Mr Öcalan has since been granted access to lawyers on at least two separate occasions and that the hunger strikes undertaken by some of his supporters have now come to an end. I also note that the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture paid a further visit to Imrali prison in mid-May, and that the Turkish Minister of Justice recently lifted the court restriction on lawyers' visits there. Whilst I welcome these positive developments, it is important to reiterate that Mr Öcalan remains in our view a convicted terrorist and we condemn the acts of violence perpetrated by the Kurdish Workers\u2019 Party as we condemn all forms of terrorism.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/343", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rutland and Melton"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Sir Alan Duncan"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-08T14:15:36.96Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abdullah Öcalan"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2019 to Question 248721, whether he has had meetings with the Turkish Government since 2 May 2019 to raise the issue of Abdullah Öcalan's access to lawyers and family visits; and if he will make a statement.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4433", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bristol West"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Thangam Debbonaire"} ], "uin" : "271481"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1127002", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1127002/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
\u200bWe 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>
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>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4210", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-05-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-05-28T15:03:32.28Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-05-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Abdullah Öcalan"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the documentary film and report by the 2019 International Peace Delegation to Imrali, published on 25 March; and what conclusions, if any, they have drawn from that report and film.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2018", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hylton"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hylton"} ], "uin" : "HL15763"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 4, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }