Öcalan himself demanded a television: Justice minister

ISTANBUL

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Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin today denied claims that the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, did not want a television in his room.

"A television would not be given unless the inmate demands one. There are no special broadcasts for him; he will be able to watch whatever other inmates watch," Ergin told reporters at Parliament, according to daily Hürriyet.

Mehmet Öcalan said yesterday after his visit to İmralı that his brother had not requested a television but had only agreed to take one after persuasion from the jail director.

Öcalan's radio has now been swapped for an LCD TV

Öcalan condemns Paris killings, says brother

Öcalan, has condemned the murder of three Kurdish women in Paris and expressed his sadness, according to his younger brother Mehmet Öcalan, who visited Öcalan yesterday on İmralı Island, Doğan news agency has reported.

The PKK head is extremely upset about the recent murder and thinks the events behind it should immediately be uncovered, Mehmet Öcalan said, while refusing to give details about the ongoing negotiation process.

Abdullah Öcalan regards the killings as "a sign," according to his brother, while hinting that he might make a statement with the participation of co-chairpersons of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).

With regard to the controversial recent request for a television for Öcalan's prison cell, Mehmet Öcalan stated that his brother had not asked for a television, saying the prison's director had persuaded him to have one.