Many political prisoners in Turkey are not released after serving their regular sentence because they do not show remorse. Normally, release is delayed by three months, but Aziz Ok is to remain in prison for another three years.
Abul Aziz Ok has been in prison in Turkey for thirty years and is currently in the Patnos L Type Closed Prison. He was arrested in Edirne in 1993 and sentenced to life imprisonment as a member of a separatist organisation before a state security court. The regular term of imprisonment expired on 19 July, yet the political prisoner is not being released. As with many others convicted before the now abolished state security courts in the early 1990s, the Turkish authorities refuse to release him because he shows no remorse. Normally, release is delayed by three or six months, but Aziz Ok is to remain in prison for another three years.
His sister Inan Ok pointed out that her brother had been subjected to rights violations for thirty years: "There have been problems in all prisons, we have witnessed this during visits and phone calls. Patnos L-type prison is known for rights violations. The problems range from food to drinking water to bathrooms. Sick prisoners are not taken to hospital and cannot exercise any rights. And now my brother's release is being denied on arbitrary grounds. The prison administration has told us that his release has been postponed until 2026 because he shows no remorse. We are trying to take legal action against this."
