The challenges faced by ill prisoners remain a pressing issue. Most recently, Mehmet Edip Taşar, a 70-year-old ill prisoner, lost his life in prison despite all applications submitted by his family and lawyers for his release.
Taşar died on 25 February after the Forensic Medicine Institute issued a report stating that he was “fit to remain in prison,” even though he had undergone nineteen angioplasty procedures, had eight stents inserted in his heart, and had lost weight to forty kilograms.
Among the thousands of ill prisoners held in prisons across Kurdistan and Turkey, another gravely ill prisoner, Mehmet Emin Çam, was recently released following a six-month deferral of his sentence. Çam, who suffers from numerous chronic illnesses and had twice received “fit to remain in prison” reports from the Forensic Medicine Institute, has been drawing attention to the situation of the ill prisoners he left behind since his release.
Çam’s family provided information regarding the severity of his health condition. Ahmet Şiray, Co-Chair of the Human Rights Association (IHD) Batman Branch, emphasized that the six-month deferral period was insufficient.
Mehmet Emin Çam was released from Beşiri Type T Closed Prison on 1 April and was taken out of the facility by his lawyers because he was unable to walk. Çam, who has been imprisoned since 2022 and suffered two heart attacks during this period, has undergone numerous surgeries. He takes seventeen medications daily and is transferred to the hospital every week due to his multiple chronic conditions. Most recently, doctors at Dicle University Hospital informed him that he was suffering from either cancer or tuberculosis.
He still cannot walk and suffers severe memory loss
In the final week before his release, Mehmet Emin Çam reportedly struggled to meet his basic needs. He was forced to use diapers and was able to move only with the assistance of a wheelchair.
The same difficulties have persisted since his release. At the home he went to after leaving prison, Çam remains unable to sit on the floor or walk. According to family members, he has difficulty recognizing visitors and even close relatives. They also stated that he frequently speaks about his ill cellmates who remain in prison, often saying, “They also need to be released.”
Çam has repeatedly emphasized that many prisoners suffer from serious illnesses similar to his own. His family indicated that his medical treatment will continue outside prison with the same level of intensity. Although he is striving to regain his health and now uses a mask, Çam is also experiencing anxiety over the possibility of being returned to prison after six months.
Short-term decisions are insufficient for ill prisoners
Ahmet Şiray stated that although the release decision was welcome, such measures fail to provide permanent and humane solutions. He emphasized that temporary deferral decisions do not adequately safeguard the right to life of gravely ill prisoners.
Şiray noted that six-month deferrals of sentences may appear positive in the short term but are insufficient for prisoners with serious health conditions. He said: “Treatment processes for prisoners with severe health problems require long-term planning. Therefore, limited deferral decisions provide only temporary relief rather than guaranteeing the patient’s right to life. The decision concerning Mehmet Emin Çam was restricted by administrative discretion rather than medical necessity. Sentences of prisoners whose health conditions are incompatible with prison life should be lifted, and their treatment should continue in fully equipped hospitals.”
Return to prison could lead to serious health consequences
Ahmet Şiray emphasized that temporary sentence deferral decisions create serious psychological and physical risks for ill prisoners. He provided the following assessment: “The constant anxiety of being returned to prison directly undermines the treatment process of a sick individual. Stress and uncertainty can aggravate the course of many illnesses. Moreover, it is impossible to complete a comprehensive treatment process within a short period such as six months. As a result, the individual faces the risk of being sent back to prison before recovery. Such temporary decisions also disrupt continuity in access to healthcare. When an ill prisoner is readmitted to prison after beginning treatment outside, the treatment may be left unfinished or completely interrupted. This can lead to irreversible health problems.”
Impartiality and reliability of the Forensic Medicine Institute questioned
Ahmet Şiray underlined those international conventions to which Turkey is a party, as well as the Constitution, guarantee the rights to life and health. He stressed that the responsibility for rights violations occurring in prisons lies with the state.
Şiray also addressed the reports issued by the Forensic Medicine Institute, said: “The right to health directly affects the individual’s right to life. The occurrence of such situations in prisons, under the supervision of the state, is incompatible with the principle of the rule of law. As an alternative to the reports of the Forensic Medicine Institute, opinions should be obtained from university hospitals and independent physicians. There are serious doubts regarding the impartiality and reliability of these reports.
Applications can be submitted to relevant prosecutors and courts to make sentence deferrals permanent. However, a fundamental solution requires permanent legal regulations that prioritize the right to life of ill prisoners. It is of great importance that such regulations be urgently implemented within the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
As the IHD, we continue our legal and social struggle against these rights violations.”
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