DİYARBAKIR- Stating that despite the circular of the Ministry of Justice, a distinction is made between ill prisoners,  Hasine Güler, wife of Sıddık Güler, a 27-year-old seriously ill prisoner in Menemen Type R Prison said: "There is no justice in Turkey."

 

A circular titled "Proceedings on the Mitigation or Removal of Sentences of Persons Due to Persistent Illness, Injury and Husband" was published on 3 January with the signature of Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag. After the circular, eyes were turned to the situation of 1,517 ill prisoners, 651 of whom were seriously ill, on the list of the Human Rights Association (İHD). President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan first used his authority to pardon 87-year-old İlhan Kılıç and 75-year-old Kenan Deniz, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the February 28 trial. Erdoğan also lifted the 9 years 46 months and 24 sentence of the criminal convict Mustafa Kartal due to "permanent illness". While the decision was published in the Official Gazette, the failure to release political prisoners, whose health conditions are worse, was met with criticism.

 

81-year-old Sıddık Güler, who has been detained for 27 years in Menemen Type R Closed Prison, is also one of the prisoners whose health condition is getting worse day by day. Hasine Güler, wife of Güler (87), who is on the seriously ill prisoner list of the İHD, demands that there be no discrimination between the prisoners.

 

GÜLER HAS AMNESIA

 

Stating that his husband was detained and arrested in the rural neighborhood of Kerha (Göksu) in Amed's Bismil district in 1994, Güler said: "My husband had angiography twice in prison, and that he had many diseases, especially hypertension, heart and inflammatory joint rheumatism. My husband was transferred from İskenderun Prison to Menemen Prison 9 months ago to be treated. He is taken to the hospital for treatment, but is not fully treated. 1 month ago, the doctors said that he needed an operation on the gallbladder, but it still hasn't been operated on. When was the operation performed? "The condition of Sıddık is getting worse day by day. He has amnesia. He even forgets to drink water."

 

Stating that her husband was brought to visit in a wheelchair and could not live alone, Güler said: "My wife is in a distant city, and I am old and ill. I cannot make long trips. Since it is far away, I cannot visit him all the time. Even if he is not released, I want him to be brought to Diyarbakır, so I can visit him.”

 

'ATK DISTINGUISHED AMONG OF PRISONERS'

 

Condemning the fact that her husband was not released despite the Ministry of Justice's circular, Güler said: "According to the circular issued on January 3, the Ministry of Justice requests a report for ill prisoners. The report is issued by the Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK), which is affiliated to the Ministry of Justice. ATK distinguishes among prisoners. He reports to the mafia, the murderer, the drug addict, the thief, but the report 'cannot stay in prison' is not given to the political prisoners. The biggest example of this is my husband Sıddık and Dedo (Mehmet Emin Özkan). Prisoners who are too ill to survive on their own are not released. This shows that there is no justice."

 

'NO JUSTICE IN TURKEY'

 

Reminding that they held the Justice Watch for 13 months for the release of ill prisoners and the other prisoners who were held despite serving their sentences, Güler said: "Our demands were clear, but they were ignored. If they obeyed their own laws, the ill prisoners would be released. They do not even obey their own laws. There is no justice in Turkey. Ill prisoners should be released first and, if it is necessary, he should be held under house arrest."

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