Mehmet Akpolat, who was detained in Istanbul and arrested on 18 July 1995, has been in prison for 32 years. He was tried at the Istanbul State Security Court on charges of “separating part of the country’s territory.” At the end of a trial that lasted eight years, Akpolat was initially sentenced to death, a sentence later commuted to life imprisonment. After the Court of Cassation upheld the sentence in 2003, the case was taken by his lawyers to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR); however, the application was rejected.
Akpolat has so far been held in Bayrampaşa, Ümraniye, Ermenek, Siirt, Diyarbakır (Amed), Muş, Rize and Bolu prisons, and has spent the last 25 years in solitary confinement.
Hanife Akpolat, who has been traveling back and forth between the prisons where her son has been held for 32 years, spoke to ANF about the process they have endured.
Torture has caused serious health problems
Hanife Akpolat said that she fainted in the corridors of the State Security Court when she learned of her son’s death sentence in 2002, adding that she regained consciousness in hospital. She described that day as follows: “I learned years later that my son was subjected to torture for about one and a half months after his arrest. During that time, he developed severe health problems. He was given electric shocks during the torture and suffered serious physical damage. His testicles were crushed during the torture, and he had to undergo multiple surgeries because of this.
Today, my son struggles with heart, kidney, stomach and joint illnesses, as well as diseases such as rheumatism and asthma. All of these health problems emerged as a result of torture.”
Exile and an endless journey
Hanife Akpolat said that her son was repeatedly transferred between prisons and described the difficulties she faced: “They took him from Bayrampaşa and sent him to Ermenek. I did not even know where Ermenek was or how to get there. I found my way by asking around. The prison was on top of a mountain. I had neither financial means nor knew the roads, but I still went. Then it was Siirt, Diyarbakır, Muş, Rize… Each time, I set out on the road again. Each time, I was alone. Even my relatives distanced themselves. Everyone turned their backs on me, saying, ‘We might be harmed.’ I was left all alone, but I never gave up on my son.”
He has been held alone in a cell for years
Hanife Akpolat emphasized that her son has been held in solitary confinement for many years and drew attention to the physical and psychological impact of these conditions. She said: “He has been kept alone in a cell for 25 years. His cell is two floors underground; it is damp and airless. How can a person live under such conditions? There is no one to talk to. How can someone endure for years without hearing a human voice or seeing a human face? He already has illnesses. When loneliness is added, it is a miracle for a person to remain standing. Every time I see him during visits, he looks like he has wasted away a little more. Yet he still tells me, ‘I am fine, mother.’ I say, ‘Let’s go to the doctor,’ and he says, ‘They do not take me.’ I tell him, ‘Drink milk, take care of yourself,’ and he says, ‘There is no money.’ They charge us for water, for food, for everything. But even when we pay, it does not reach him.”
Our only demand as mothers is peace
Hanife Akpolat also called for peace and said: “We mothers all have the same demand: Let there be peace. Let our children live. Let everyone be reunited with their homes and families. There should be no discrimination. We want to live together. Above all, we want all our children to regain their freedom, starting with Öcalan. First and foremost, Abdullah Öcalan is our red line. No one can be free unless he is free. There are thousands of people like my son; I want this for all of them. Let no more mothers cry and no more children die. This pain must end now.”
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