The Human Rights Association (IHD), the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD), the Human Rights Center of the Istanbul Bar Association, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV), and the Foundation for Society and Legal Studies (TOHAV) highlighted Yılmaz’s critical health condition in a joint statement.
During the press conference held at the İstanbul branch of the IHD, a banner reading “Pit-type prisons must be closed” was displayed. The statement was read out by Yağmur Kavak from the Human Rights Center of the Istanbul Bar Association.
Pit-type prisons cause harm to prisoners
Kavak noted that rights violations have increased in high-security prisons, especially after 2020 and said: “These prisons, where three-story ventilation shafts are built with cell sections in separate areas, window bars are covered with wire mesh, and the right to fresh air is restricted to only one and a half hours a day, are described by prisoners as ‘pit-type.’ These structures inflict severe harm on inmates, both psychologically and physically.”
Reaction to visitation ban
Yağmur Kavak said that on 23 September 2025, Yılmaz was transferred against his will to the Köroğlu Unit of Bolu Izzet Baysal Hospital, but since then neither his family nor his lawyers have been allowed to see him.
Kavak added: “The hospital administration unlawfully claimed that lawyer visits could not take place without the prosecutor’s permission. The prosecutor, in turn, rejected the requests for lawyer visits. This is a clear violation of rights and an unlawful practice. In addition, his family’s request to accompany him was also denied.”
Yılmaz’s Lawyer: They are playing with Serkan’s life
Lawyer Seda Şaraldı stated that they cannot obtain direct information about her client’s health since they have been prevented from seeing him. Şaraldı said: “Serkan is being kept alone in the hospital. We requested that his mother be allowed to stay with him as an attendant, but both the hospital and the prosecutor refused to take responsibility. This attitude directly endangers Yılmaz’s life. My client refuses treatment; he even rejects having his blood pressure measured. After 320 days of hunger strike, forced intervention would further increase the risk of death.”
The prisoner’s declaration of must be respected
The TIHV referred to the Malta Declaration and addedd: “The prisoner’s declaration of must be respected. Any medical intervention that goes beyond his consciousness is contrary both to human rights and to ethical principles. This must absolutely not be carried out.”