Kurdish politician and doctor Selçuk Mızraklı, who was arrested in October 2019 and replaced by a state-appointed trustee, had his request for release under supervised probation denied.
On September 4, Mızraklı applied to be transferred to an open prison and to benefit from supervised release after he had less than one-year sentence left.
Evaluating the application on September 8, the Edirne Type F Prison Administration and Observation Board rejected the request on the grounds that “there is no indication that he has distanced himself from the organization during his time in our institution.”
In a statement on Wednesday, the DEM Party said: “Selçuk Mızraklı’s political views are clear: he is a politician who has fought for peace and democracy and paid the price for this for years as he was held hostage. The board cannot decide what Mızraklı’s statement should be! We do not accept this arbitrary and unlawful reason for rejection. Acting on ideological motives, this board continues to arbitrarily and vindictively keep political prisoners in prison, exceeding its authority. We declare this board, which is effectively sabotaging the Peace and Democratic Society Process, and its decision to be illegitimate in terms of law and democracy. Selçuk Mızraklı and all political prisoners must be released immediately.”