According to data from the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), the release of nearly four thousand prisoners has been postponed in recent months. Prison administrations and the Administrative and Observation Board have been delaying releases on the grounds that prisoners “have not shown remorse” or “are not of good conduct.” Long-term prisoners, especially those who have spent thirty years or more behind bars, face these unlawful decisions most frequently. The latest example is the case of seriously ill prisoner Ahmet Tüneli, who has been incarcerated for thirty-one and a half years and whose release has now been postponed for the fourth time.
In its most recent evaluation, the board delayed Tüneli’s release for another six months, claiming that he “shows a tendency toward negative radicalization.” His 92-year-old mother, Azize Tüneli, who has been waiting at the prison gate for her son for three decades, reacted strongly to the decision. She said, “Every day I wait, thinking my son will come home, and every day ends in tears. My only wish is to kiss him, hold him, and embrace him one last time.”
His release postponed for the fourth time
Ahmet Tüneli, who has been imprisoned for thirty years and is currently held in Siverek No. 2 Type-T Closed Prison, had his release first postponed in October of last year. The board then delayed his release again during its evaluations in January and August. Most recently, Tüneli appeared before the board on Wednesday, where his release was postponed for a fourth time. During the hearing, the board questioned Tüneli about the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which announced its dissolution in May. The board then delayed his release for another six months, claiming that he was “not of good conduct” and “showed no remorse.” The decision stated that “the prisoner presents a high risk of reoffending, causing harm to society or the victim, and rejoining organizational activities; therefore, in line with reports, he is considered to fall within the high-risk category, and conditional release cannot be granted.”
The decision violates both domestic and international law
Serdar Tüm stated that the decision was entirely unlawful and announced that they would appeal the board’s ruling. He said, “The board asked my client, ‘How do you assess the PKK?’ My client replied: ‘I do not wish to make a statement about an organization that declared its dissolution at the congress held on 5–7 May 2025.’ Following this answer, the period for conditional release was extended once again.” Tüm emphasized that his client had already been punished for actions committed decades ago. He said, “Using the same acts as grounds to delay his conditional release is contrary to both domestic law and international law. My client is essentially being made to serve a punishment on top of an existing punishment.”
Lawyer Serdar Tüm added that they would challenge the decision before the execution judge, stated, “I hope this unlawful ruling is overturned as soon as possible and that my client regains his freedom.”
A 92-year-old mother still waiting for her son
Ninety-two-year-old Azize Tüneli, who has been unable to visit her son for nearly six years due to health problems, fell ill after learning of the latest decision. During the previous board evaluation, she had waited outside the prison gates and broke into tears, crying out in grief when the postponement was announced. She remains deeply outraged by the ongoing injustice. Azize Tüneli, who spends her days looking at her son’s photographs and repeating his name, expressed her anguish in her own words: “I am afraid I will die without seeing him. I have waited thirty years, and I do not know if I can endure another six months. They are torturing both me and my son.”
Azize Tüneli keeps her eyes on the road
Azize Tüneli stated that three decades of waiting have worn down both her eyesight and her strength, and that she is fighting death itself just to see her son again. Azize Tüneli said: “I am sick now; I cannot get out of bed. Lying here, my only wish is to see him. Even though he has completed his sentence, they still will not release him. This state has no intention of letting him go. After so many postponements, how is my son supposed to return home? My eyes are always on the road, waiting for him to come back to this house. At this age, I wonder how I will ever see my son. I do not know if I will be able to see him one more time. They have no right to inflict this torture, neither on him nor on me. He has served his entire sentence, yet they still refuse to let him go. Since yesterday, it has not left my mind. From the moment I heard the decision, I have been terrified that I will never see my son again. If I die without seeing him, I will die with my eyes open.”
She resisted death for thirty years to see her son
Azize Tüneli, a harsh critic of the ongoing mistreatment in prisons at a time when peace is being discussed, spoke with deep anguish: “Thirty years have passed. My knees no longer hold me; every kind of illness found me, yet I resisted death just to see my son again. What do they want from my son? What do they want from us? Do they have no conscience at all? Let them have at least a little. I want to see my son, to hold him, to kiss him. My eyes stayed on the road, and Ahmet never came. I never got to kiss my Ahmet. If I could just see him, just embrace him, that would be enough for me. They must put an end to this torture. Enough is enough. On the one hand they talk about peace, and on the other they do this. What kind of peace is this?”
Who is Ahmet Tüneli?
Ahmet Tüneli was detained and arrested on 1 November 1994 at his home in the Rezan (Bağlar) district of Diyarbakır (Amed). In 1996, he appeared before the Diyarbakır No. 2 Specially Authorized Court, which sentenced him to life imprisonment on the charge of “undermining the unity and integrity of the state.” Tüneli had been expected to be released last year, but the board postponed his release on the grounds that he “showed no remorse.” The same decision was repeated in January, and this month the board once again cited “lack of remorse” and extended the enforcement of his sentence by a further three months.