European anti-torture panel says no proof that jailed Kurdish leader Ocalan being poisoned

There is no proof to back claims that jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan is being poisoned by his Turkish captors, says a report by the Council of Europe's anti-torture panel.

The report, released Thursday, said an independent medical investigation found that hair samples taken from Ocalan at his prison island of Imrali, where he has been jailed since 1999, found no evidence of toxins as alleged by Ocalan's lawyers.

"The findings of the experts ... indicate that the prisoner has not been the subject of intoxication by heavy metals," the report said.

The Council of Europe, a human rights organization, sent a delegation from its committee for the prevention of torture to investigate Ocalan's condition last May.

It was the fourth such visit since 1999 to check on whether Ocalan was receiving treatment that met international standards.

The panel, however, urged Turkish authorities to move Ocalan from isolation because they said his mental state is deteriorating. They also appealed to Turkey to ensure more regular visits from relatives and lawyers.

"Whatever the circumstances, there can be no justification for keeping a prisoner in such conditions of isolation for eight and a half years," the report said. It urged Ankara to ensure Ocalan is allowed to either buy or rent a television set and receive regular deliveries of newspapers. The panel also called for Ocalan to be allowed to receive monthly visits of family members, instead of the current sporadic visits.

Ocalan's lawyers said last year that an analysis of his hair showed large amounts of strontium and chromium, both of which are toxic in high doses — an indicator of chronic poisoning.

The European panel suggested that, as a precaution, Ocalan's blood be tested every three months.

Turkish authorities have rejected claims that they are trying to poison Ocalan, and last December prosecutors brought charges against two of Ocalan's lawyers for making the claims.

Ocalan, 59, is the sole inmate on the prison island of Imrali, in the Marmara Sea, off Istanbul.

Turkish officials have also carried out their own tests to calm his supporters and said Ocalan showed no signs he was being poisoned. They have called the allegations "complete lies."

Ocalan was initially sentenced to death after his capture in 1999, but his sentence was commuted to life in prison after Turkey abolished capital punishment in 2002.