According to the Human Rights Association (IHD), there are a total of 1,412 ill prisoners in prisons across Kurdistan and Turkey, 355 of whom are in critical condition. Despite medical reports from the Forensic Medicine Institute or hospitals recommending their release, most of these prisoners continue to struggle for survival in prison despite their advanced age and chronic illnesses.
One of them is 76-year-old Hatice Yıldız, who has been battling multiple chronic diseases while all her appeals have been rejected. She was sentenced to four years and two months in prison for sending money to her imprisoned daughter and her daughter’s cellmate, and she has now been denied her most recent request for a special house arrest procedure on the grounds that “the conditions were not met.”
Hatice Yıldız, who relies on several medications, has reportedly been frequently fainting due to her chronic high blood pressure.
Forensic Medicine Institute issues the same ruling again
Hatice Yıldız was prosecuted on charges of “financing an organization” after sending money through the post office (PTT) to her imprisoned daughter, Ruken Yıldız, and another detainee. Following the approval of her four-year and two-month prison sentence, she was taken from her home on a stretcher on 23 March 2024, first to a hospital and then to Bakırköy Prison.
Since her imprisonment, Yıldız has been hospitalized several times due to frequent fainting spells and deteriorating health.
Despite her chronic illnesses, all applications for supervised release have been rejected. The Forensic Medicine Institute once again issued a report stating that she is “fit to remain in prison.”
All appeals rejected
Suffering from chronic high blood pressure and eye problems, Yıldız’s lawyers most recently applied to the 6th Execution Court in Bakırköy, requesting that she serve her sentence under house arrest.
The court rejected the application, providing the following justification: “According to Article 110/2(b) of Law No. 5275, prisoners over the age of 70 may benefit from a special execution procedure for sentences not exceeding four years. As the convict’s current sentence totals four years and two months, the request for house arrest is denied.”
It was also reported that her lawyers’ request for transfer to an open prison was rejected. They stated that they plan to reapply for supervised release in March next year.
Prison is no place for an ill person
Alper Yıldız said that the legal process had been carried out unlawfully and that his mother’s condition had worsened due to the prison environment. Yıldız said: “Sending money to a prisoner is not a crime. My mother’s existing illnesses have become more severe. Although she is given her medications, the environment she is in is not suitable for an ill person. She frequently falls ill because of her asthma and high blood pressure. All of our appeals have been rejected. Someone of her age should not be in prison. We demand her immediate release.”