1999
- 15 February, capture in Kenya
- 16 February, arrival at Turkey’s İmralı Island, which had been emptied of other prisoners and declared a prohibited Military Zone
- 25 February, first meeting with lawyers – brief and not in private
- 2 March, first visit by European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).
- 11 March, first private meeting with lawyers
- 31 May, trial begins
- 29 June, death sentence
- 25 November, Turkey’s Court of Cassation upholds the judgement against Öcalan
- 30 November, European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) calls for death penalty not to be enacted
2001
- 6 September, second visit by CPT
2002
- 9 August, Turkish parliament abolishes the use of the death penalty in peacetime
- 3 October, Öcalan’s death penalty commuted to life without the possibility of parole
2003
- 16-17 February, third visit by CPT
- 12 March, ECtHR rules that Öcalan was not given a fair trial
2005
- 12 May, Grand Chamber of ECtHR upholds 2003 ruling
2007
- 19-22 May, fourth visit by CPT
late 2008-2011
- Öcalan involved in peace talks with government representatives
2009
- 18 April, two of Öcalan’s lawyers arrested
- 17 November, Öcalan transferred to newly built prison on İmralı along with five others brought from other prisons
2010
- 26-27 January, fifth visit by CPT
2011
- 27 July, last visit of lawyers until May 2019.
- 22 November, 42 of Öcalan’s lawyers arrested and accused of transmitting messages to a terrorist organisation
2013
- 3 January, Öcalan meets with two leading Kurdish politicians, Ahmet Türk and Ayla Akat – the first of many meetings with MPs as part of the peace process, which continued until 2015
- 16-17 January, sixth visit by CPT
2014
- 18 March, ECtHR ruling that Öcalan’s life imprisonment without parole violates his human rights, as did his detention conditions up to 2009
- 6 October, family visits halted
2015
- 16 March, the five prisoners also incarcerated on İmralı are exchanged for five others
- 5 April, talks between Öcalan and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MPs as part of peace process halted
- December, two of the five other inmates transferred to other prisons
2016
- 28-29 April, seventh visit by CPT
- 15 June, coup attempt against Erdoğan, which becomes an excuse for greater crackdown on all opposition
- 11 September, Öcalan meets his brother
2018
- 8 November, Leyla Güven starts a hunger strike to call for an end to Öcalan’s isolation, which will eventually be joined by over 8,000 people
2019
- 12 January, Öcalan meets his brother
- 2 May, Öcalan meets his lawyers
- 6-17 May, eighth visit by CPT
- 22 May, Öcalan meets his lawyers
- 26 May, hunger strike ended
- 12 and 18 June and 9 August, Öcalan meets his lawyers
2020
- 27 February, fire on İmralı Island
- 3 March, Öcalan meets his brother
2020
- 27 April, Öcalan allowed his first phone call
2021
- 25 March, after rumours that Öcalan had died cause widespread fears, he is allowed a phone call to his brother – which is cut short after less than four minutes
2022
- September, ninth visit by CPT. Turkey has refused publication of their report and the CPT shares no information.
2024
- 23 October, Ömer Öcalan MP, is allowed a family visit to his uncle, Abdullah Öcalan. This is Öcalan’s first contact with the outside world, apart from the CPT delegation, for nearly 43 months, but the isolation continues.
- 28 December, visit from DEM Party delegation consisting of MPs Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder,
2025
- 22 January, second visit from DEM Party delegation
- 27 February, visit from an extended DEM Party delegation, which also included one of Öcalan’s lawyers. Release of statement by Öcalan calling for the PKK to disarm and dissolve, with a photograph of Öcalan reading the statement to the delegation.
