European rights court dismisses complaint of PKK head

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS (AA) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday dismissed a complaint filed by the PKK terror group’s imprisoned ringleader, Abdullah Ocalan.

Ocalan claimed he had been tortured and threatened by Imrali prison guards on 7th October 2008 during a search of his cell.

ECHR unanimously ruled the application is “inadmissible” and found that there was no arguable claim that Ocalan "had been subjected to treatment in breach of Article 3 of the Convention."

"The Court observed in particular that, on the day of the alleged incidents and on the following days, Abdullah Ocalan had been examined by a number of doctors, who had not found any signs of physical injury or mental distress," the top EU court explained in a statement.

The court added the leader of PKK terrorist group had not "himself mentioned anything of the sort" or "filed a complaint with the prison administration or the public prosecutor responsible for the prison."

"As to the investigation, the Court explained that in the absence of any arguable claims, the national authorities did not have any obligation to conduct an effective investigation," ECHR said.

The decision is final, according to the top EU court.

Abdullah Ocalan, who is the convicted head of the PKK terrorist group, has been jailed in Turkey since 1999.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women and children.