25 years ago, Mehmet Emin Özkan from Amed (Diyarbakir) was sentenced to an aggravated life sentence in Turkey as an alleged PKK member for the murder of a Turkish general. Although Turkish law enforcement authorities have also been convinced of the innocence of the now 83-year-old since 2014 at the latest, and even prosecutors demanded his release because the general was killed by his own people, Özkan remains in prison. Now, on Friday, another spark of hope that the man will not have to die in custody went out. The Gazi Yaşargil Teaching and Research Hospital classified Özkan as “fit for detention” despite significant health problems. However, it did not examine his health condition, only his mental state. The responsible commission at the hospital recommended "psychiatric treatment" and referred Özkan to the Istanbul Legal Medicine Institute. The examination there is to take place on Monday. His lawyers and family are up in arms.

Detained son transferred to Amed to care for father

In the last four weeks, Mehmet Emin Özkan has been hospitalized seven times from D-type prison in Amed. Pictures showing him shackled to a hospital bed and being led away in handcuffs to the prison transport van caused anger and outrage within Kurdish society. Even now, after the positive decision on his ability to be detained, the horror has returned with full force. Özkan is included in the list of "seriously ill prisoners" by the Human Rights Association (IHD). He suffers from various illnesses, including an aneurysm in his brain, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, Alzheimer's dementia, which leads to memory loss, confusion and disorientation, hearing loss, respiratory weakness and a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Özkan has survived six heart attacks so far, and he has had to undergo cardiac catheterization four times. A forensic medical institute has determined that he has a degree of disability of 87 - but at the same time has certified that he is fit to be imprisoned. This was also the reason for the rejection of several applications for his release from prison. Özkan is completely dependent on the help of his fellow prisoners. Two weeks ago, his son, who is also in prison, was transferred to the D-type prison to care for his father.

Doctors' and lawyers' associations appeal to Ministry of Justice

Now 21 civil society and legal organizations have joined forces and drafted a joint appeal for the release of Mehmet Emin Özkan. Among the signatories of the statement are bar associations, medical associations and prisoner solidarity associations. "Mehmet Emin Özkan's health condition has long since reached a critical level. Since May 17, his already life-threatening condition has been visibly deteriorating. We appeal to the Ministry of Justice and the Human Rights Commission of the Turkish National Assembly: take your responsibility, do not let Mehmet Emin Özkan die in prison," the appeal reads.

Why was Özkan sentenced?

In mid-January, a court in Adana rejected an application by Özkan's lawyers to have his detention status lifted. The court justified the continued detention in view of the Lice trial, which is still pending before the Court of Cassation. On October 22, 1993, Brigadier General Bahtiyar Aydın, a commander of the gendarmerie, was shot dead in Lice district of Amed province.

Although the PKK denied involvement in his murder on the grounds that it did not want to provoke retaliatory strikes that could lead to civilian casualties, the government accused the Kurdish guerrillas of being responsible for Aydın's death. A day after Bahtiyar Aydın's murder, the Turkish military carried out an act of revenge against the people of Lice. Sixteen people fell victim to a massacre, and another 36 people were injured, some seriously. The military set fire to a total of 402 houses and 285 workplaces, and the number of people displaced is still unclear.

It later emerged that Aydın had been shot dead by his own people. Mehmet Emin Özkan, who had been arrested on a trivial charge in 1996, was sentenced to an aggravated life sentence for the brigadier general's murder in September of the same year. The charges against him were based largely on the testimony of a key witness.