The lawyer for prisoner Mehmet Emin Çam, Nezahat Celen, said: “In recent days he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t see. The guards told me, ‘Would it be possible not to have a visit? Your client is in severe pain and has difficulty walking.’ He cannot attend prison visits.”
According to the report on sick prisoners announced by the Human Rights Association (IHD), there are 1,412 sick prisoners, at least 335 of whom are in critical condition. Despite repeated applications and demands for release, sick prisoners are not freed. Even for those brought before boards in wheelchairs, the decision is issued that “no illness has been observed.” Due to the harsh conditions of their living environment, the illnesses of sick prisoners worsen day by day, and they cannot even meet their daily needs. One of them is 73-year-old Mehmet Emin Çam, who, despite being hospitalized many times and suffering two heart attacks, has not been released. The most recent application was also rejected.
His lawyer, Nezahat Celen, emphasized that the process is not being carried out on a legal or moral basis and called for an urgent decision to protect the right to life. She noted that after the Forensic Medicine Institute submitted an opinion to the prosecutor’s office stating that Çam could remain in prison, they appealed and requested new medical reports. Celen said: “Because his conditions do not allow him to stay in prison. My client was taken to hospital again yesterday. In our petitions, we have already stated that he is at risk of suffering another heart attack.”
Two hospitalizations in two weeks
Lawyer Nezahat Celen stated that Çam may have to undergo another bypass or heart surgery and said: “Unfortunately, there is currently a general water problem in Beşiri Prison. For this reason, my client, together with his cellmates, was taken to hospital. He was hospitalized twice. Another one of my clients in the same ward also underwent surgery. Yet another prisoner is currently being treated in a hospital outside the prison due to kidney failure.”
He cannot walk and cannot see
Celen stressed that her client is struggling to survive under prison conditions and said: “In recent days he cannot walk, he suffers from heart disease, and he cannot see. He cannot attend prison visits. Most recently, when one of our colleagues went for a visit, he was in no condition to come out. Because he could not walk, he could only attend an open visit by holding onto a friend’s arm.”
Your client is in severe pain
Lawyer Nezahat Celen explained that Mehmet Emin Çam, who suffers from shortness of breath, has great difficulty walking; a five-minute distance takes him twenty minutes to walk. She said: “The guards told us, ‘Would it be possible not to have a visit? Your client is in severe pain and has difficulty walking.’ He could not move his left arm at all. He has lost weight. Because he struggles to walk, he refuses visits. Two of his arteries are blocked, and he may need another bypass surgery.”
An urgent decision to protect the right to life
Celen pointed out that the process is not progressing properly in legal or moral terms and added: “Unfortunately, this process is not healthy. A commission was formed to make improvements, but no decision has been taken. The right to life is the most fundamental right. Without the right to life, even delayed justice will not bring any result. A decision regarding these sick prisoners must be taken immediately. Keeping them inside will benefit no one. That is why improvements must be made without delay.”