DEM Party MP Newroz Uysal Aslan has submitted a draft bill to the Turkish parliament to reform life sentences without the prospect of release. The aim is to incorporate the so-called “right to hope” into national legislation, in line with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
Reference to ECtHR judgments: No life imprisonment without the prospect of review
Specifically, the DEM Party proposes that in cases of aggravated life imprisonment, early release should be possible after 25 years at the latest. The draft refers to several ECtHR judgments in which it was found that life imprisonment without any real prospect of release violates Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which provides protection against torture and inhuman treatment.
In this context, reference is made, among other things, to the case of the “Gurban Group” (2014), which includes the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, and the case of Vinter and others v. the United Kingdom from 2013. In this case, the ECtHR emphasized that the right to hope must include the possibility of review within a reasonable time frame, after 25 years at the latest.
Criticism of current prison conditions
The draft bill also addresses the current prison conditions for prisoners serving life sentences. Most of them are held in solitary confinement in single cells, with only one hour of fresh air per day and severely restricted contact with relatives. Visiting rights are limited to once every 15 days, and phone calls to ten minutes. The bill criticizes these prison conditions for causing complete social isolation and not meeting the goal of rehabilitation.
Council of Europe calls for legal reform
The DEM Party also refers to the resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of September 17, 2025. In the resolution, the Committee explicitly called on Turkey to amend its legislation on life imprisonment and to implement the judgments of the ECtHR. The draft bill emphasizes that reform is not only in line with international obligations but is also necessary from a legal policy perspective in order to end structural inequality in the prison system.
An opportunity for a new social dialogue
The draft bill goes on to state that the current prison regime was originally tailored to the case of Abdullah Öcalan but has developed into a comprehensive practice that now affects thousands of prisoners. Öcalan is seen as a key figure in finding a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question. The approaches he advocates are exemplary for a democratic, pluralistic, and equal society. In this context, the draft bill considers the Council of Europe’s recommendation to actively involve the “Commission for National Solidarity, Fraternity, and Democracy” in the legislative process as an opportunity for a new social dialogue.