Weird excuses prevent release of prisoner Hasan Çelik

With the entry into force of the Regulation on Observation and Classification Centers and the Evaluation of Convicts as of 1 January, the release of prisoners whose sentence has expired is prevented by weird excuses. One of these prisoners is Hasan Çelik, who is being held in Antalya S Type Closed Prison.

Çelik, who has been imprisoned for nearly 10 years due to a 12-year and 6-month prison sentence, would have completed his sentence on 25 December 2021, but his release has been postponed for 3 months on the grounds that he “did not take a bath and could not get along with the staff”, according to the evaluation made by the prison administration.

Çelik conveyed the following to his older sister, Rojwer Çelik, in his weekly phone call:

“I am not being released arbitrarily. My release is prevented due to illogical reasons. I take a bath, I have no chance of not doing it. It is claimed that I cannot get along with the prison staff. I don’t even see the staff. Let them look at the camera tapes in the prison if necessary. It is a violation of my rights to prevent my release.”