Deputies Tuncel and Önder visit ill prisoner in jail
Deputies Tuncel and Önder visit ill prisoner in jail
BDP Ýstanbul deputies Sabahat Tuncel and Sýrrý Süreyya Önder, have visited prisoner Hediye Aksoy who is held in Bakýrköy women jail. Aksoy has cancer, but the authorities refuse to free her.
The human rights issue of terminally ill prisoners in Turkey is still a problem. During last decade, 2,670 prisoners died in Turkish prisons. Currently, there are 50 prisoners who have serious health problems.
Hediye Aksoy, who lost her eyes 18 years ago as a result of an explosion, was in prison without any treatment. She was released in 1998 under an amnesty. However, someone testified against Aksoy, and, in 2007, she was arrested again. During her second term of imprisonment, she again did not have access to health care. Moreover, she was diagnosed with cancer during this time. Doctor's reports identify her as 85 percent disabled.
Despite all the calls for Aksoy to be released and despite all the medical reports, the woman remain in prison. Her only comfort the continuous visits she is receiving from outside.
Yesterday the two Istanbul deputies, Sabahat Tuncel and Sýrrý Süreyya Önder, had a visit of one hour with the young woman. At the end of their visit the deputies made a statement. They pointed out that the authorities are not releasing ill prisoners as a matter of policy. In other words, to keep the prisoners in jail even when they suffered heavy or terminal illness is another form of repression and control. Clearly, the deputies said, the problem for a prisoner in jail is that therapies which need to be given at a particular time in particular conditions are not subjected to any control, and therefore the assistance is often poor.
Another seriously ill prisoner, Fatma Tokmak, was arrested in 1996. While she was incarcerated, she was diagnosed with a serious heart illness and was released. However, she was re-arrested. A doctor gave a report that recommending that Tokmak have regular treatment but, she still has not been released.
According to Turkish law, prisoners who are seriously ill, such as Aksoy and Tokmak, must be released from prison.
Efforts to draw the public's attention to these prisoners' plights have mostly fallen on deaf ears. The Human Rights Association (ÝHD), the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People (MAZLUM-DER), the Chamber of Medical Doctors, Confederation of Solidarity of Prisoners' Families (TUHAD-FED), the Association of Mesopotamian Families of Victims of Forced Disappearances (MEYA-DER) and various women's associations have been involved in efforts to publicize this issue.
In a rare success story, Güler Zere, who is a cancer patient who was incarcerated in the Kürkçüler F-type Prison, was released after demonstrations organized by women's associations.
The human rights issue of terminally ill prisoners in Turkey is still a problem. During last decade, 2,670 prisoners died in Turkish prisons. Currently, there are 50 prisoners who have serious health problems.
Hediye Aksoy, who lost her eyes 18 years ago as a result of an explosion, was in prison without any treatment. She was released in 1998 under an amnesty. However, someone testified against Aksoy, and, in 2007, she was arrested again. During her second term of imprisonment, she again did not have access to health care. Moreover, she was diagnosed with cancer during this time. Doctor's reports identify her as 85 percent disabled.
Despite all the calls for Aksoy to be released and despite all the medical reports, the woman remain in prison. Her only comfort the continuous visits she is receiving from outside.
Yesterday the two Istanbul deputies, Sabahat Tuncel and Sýrrý Süreyya Önder, had a visit of one hour with the young woman. At the end of their visit the deputies made a statement. They pointed out that the authorities are not releasing ill prisoners as a matter of policy. In other words, to keep the prisoners in jail even when they suffered heavy or terminal illness is another form of repression and control. Clearly, the deputies said, the problem for a prisoner in jail is that therapies which need to be given at a particular time in particular conditions are not subjected to any control, and therefore the assistance is often poor.
Another seriously ill prisoner, Fatma Tokmak, was arrested in 1996. While she was incarcerated, she was diagnosed with a serious heart illness and was released. However, she was re-arrested. A doctor gave a report that recommending that Tokmak have regular treatment but, she still has not been released.
According to Turkish law, prisoners who are seriously ill, such as Aksoy and Tokmak, must be released from prison.
Efforts to draw the public's attention to these prisoners' plights have mostly fallen on deaf ears. The Human Rights Association (ÝHD), the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People (MAZLUM-DER), the Chamber of Medical Doctors, Confederation of Solidarity of Prisoners' Families (TUHAD-FED), the Association of Mesopotamian Families of Victims of Forced Disappearances (MEYA-DER) and various women's associations have been involved in efforts to publicize this issue.
In a rare success story, Güler Zere, who is a cancer patient who was incarcerated in the Kürkçüler F-type Prison, was released after demonstrations organized by women's associations.
