Life of severely ill prisoner Turan Çabuk still in danger

Turan Çabuk (58) was in Metris T Type Closed Prison No. 2, where he suffered from a cerebral haemorrhage on 11 January, due to the spread of cancer cells to his lungs and brain. He was taken to Çapa Medical Faculty Hospital in Fatih. Çabuk, whose life is still in danger, can only move his eyelids. Thereupon, his lawyers applied to the Constitutional Court (AYM) on 13 January.

In its response on Wednesday, the Constitutional Court said that Çabuk “has been released [he is in hospital], there is no need for precautionary measures.” The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also decided to postpone his 3-month execution.

Çabuk was arrested on 17 March 2016, and after being diagnosed with kidney cancer, he was released on 23 May 2019 for treatment purposes. While the treatment of Çabuk, whose right kidney was surgically removed on 29 May 2019 at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Hospital, metastases were detected in the brain and lung on 5 February 2021. Despite this, Çabuk’s sentence was finalized, and he was arrested again before his request for a postponement of execution was concluded.

Despite the report of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Hospital and his ongoing treatment at Istanbul University Oncology Institute, the 6 years and 3 months’ prison sentence was upheld by the 16th Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals. The request of the lawyers to postpone the execution was rejected by the Ağrı Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on 22 June 2021.

Çabuk’s lawyer applied to the Constitutional Court (AYM) on 9 September 2021.

As a result of the evaluation made on 21 September 2021, the Constitutional Court decided to ‘reject the measure request for the applicant’s release’.