Following the confirmation of Abdullah Ocalan's death sentence by the Turkish Appeal Court, the Kurdish Human Rights Project continued to express serious concerns about the arrest and trial of Ocalan. KHRP called for the Turkish government to use Ocalan's detention as an opportunity to resolve the long standing conflict between Kurds and Turks.

"The trial process has been inherently flawed" said Mark Muller, chairman of KHRP and vice chairman of the Bar Human Rights Committee. "The circumstances of Mr Ocalan's arrest in Kenya suggest gross breaches of international law. The conditions in which Mr Ocalan has been held prompted representatives from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture to visit him in prison on Imrali Island. The lack of unrestricted access to his lawyers, intimidation and harassment of those involved in his defence, and the presence of a military judge at the hearings until June 1999 all contribute towards breaches of the right to a fair trial enshrined in Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights."

Mr Ocalan has applied to the European Court of Human Rights for a review of his treatment in Turkey.

KHRP's executive director Kerim Yildiz welcomed recent apparent moves by the Turkish government to take a more flexible attitude towards the Kurdish issue. But he expressed concern that the steps taken during the recent OSCE summit in Istanbul should contribute towards a lasting resolution of the issue.

"Mr Ocalan's detention is an opportunity for the Turkish government to offer an olive branch at last to the Kurdish people." said Mr Yildiz. "With her application for European Union membership currently under consideration, Turkey should seize this chance to allow fundamental human rights to Kurds."

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