Turkey: Kurdish Leader Not Poisoned

Turkish officials say tests have found no trace of poison in Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told a news conference the tests were done by three experienced doctors, Today’s Zaman reported.

Ocalan’s lawyers charged last week that he had been exposed to life-threatening poisons. Cicek accused them of playing politics.

From now on, nobody should pursue such lies. No one should take such games seriously. Turkey is a state of law and Turkey has nothing to hide, Cicek said.

Ocalan is being held in a prison on an island in the Sea of Marmora.

His lawyers said that they will appeal for independent testing once they get the official report.