The Prisons Commission of the Human Rights Association (IHD) published its updated list of ill prisoners at a press conference in Istanbul.

According to the IHD, there are 1,517 ill prisoners in jail, including 651 seriously ill. There are some 341,502 prisoners in the country.

In 2021, at least 46 ill prisoners have died in prisons, said the IHD, adding that at least 3 prisoners lost their lives shortly after being released.

IHD co-chair Öztürk Türkdoğan said the number of ill prisoners was increasing. He added that prisoners who cannot look after themselves alone in prison should be released.

Türkdoğan said that the "Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) should not be the sole authority to decide whether ill prisoners can stay in prison or not." 

He mentioned the ATK's reports about Kurdish politician and lawyer Aysel Tuğluk, who remained in prison despite being diagnosed with dementia. He also mentioned the case of Mehmet Emin Özkan, an 83-year-old prisoner who remains in prison despite suffering from several illnesses.