Rezan Gezer, a member of the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), said that they will file a criminal complaint against the Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK), which repeatedly issued reports stating that seriously ill prisoner Mehmet Edip Taşar was “fit to remain in prison,” despite his illness.
Taşar, who was held in Marmara No. 5 L-Type Closed Prison, died in the hospital where he was receiving treatment. Lawyer Gezer said that numerous applications had been made for Taşar’s release, but the ATK issued reports each time preventing it.
Lawyer Gezer said that the ATK eventually issued a report on 26 February 2026 stating that Taşar could stay in a “fully equipped hospital,” which effectively meant only a six-month postponement of his sentence.
Emphasizing that Taşar was largely kept in prison throughout the course of his illness, lawyer Gezer noted that although he was sometimes taken to the hospital for certain treatments, he was repeatedly sent back to prison afterward.
Lawyer Gezer also said that Mehmet Edip Taşar, who entered prison in December 2022, was already ill at that time. She added that delayed hospital referrals, the absence of some referrals altogether, and the substitution of his regular medication with alternative drugs further worsened his health condition.
Arguing that the ATK evaluates sick prisoners not based on their health conditions but on their political identities, lawyer Gezer said: “If another person had the same illnesses as Mehmet Edip Taşar, it would have been impossible to issue a report stating that they were fit to remain in prison.”
Lawyer Gezer added that they would file criminal complaints not only against the ATK but also against the institutions that decided to keep Taşar in an L-Type Closed Prison instead of an R-Type Prison, which is designated for seriously ill prisoners, despite his critical health condition.
The ÖHD emphasized that there was institutional negligence and responsibility in the death of Mehmet Edip Taşar.