ŞIRNEX – Haci Haykir, a political prisoner held for 31 years, was denied release by the Administrative and Observation Board of Burdur High-Security Closed Prison on the grounds that he did not declare “neutrality”. His release scheduled for June 6, was postponed for eight montsh. His wife, Sirin Haykir, called the decision unjust and said, “If they truly want peace, they must and such practices.”
Haci Haykir was arrested in 1994 in the Cizîr (Cizre) district of Şirnex (Şırnak) and sentenced to life imprisonment by the State Securtiy Court (DGM) in Erzirom (Erzurum). Over the past three decades, he has been transferred through prisons in Ordu, Trabzon, Amed (Diyarbakır), Midyad, Şirnex, Trakya, Erzirom, Sêrt (Siirt), and most recently Burdur, where he has been held for the past year.
According to the official justification, the Obserbation Board claimed that although a lack of “neutrality” is not a legal barrier to conditional release, it can be used as a “supportive assessment” for evaluating remorse. The board further stated that Haykir had participated in several hunder strikes “with organizational motives,” which was interpreted as an indication that he had not severed ties with the group he was allegedly affiliated with. The board concluded that Haykir “has not shown improvement in his behaviour, does not express remorse for his crime, and poses a risk to society”.
‘RELEASE HAS BEEN DELAYED FOR BASELESS REASONS’
Wife Sirin Haykir reacted strongly to the decision: “This is unlawful. He was about to be released, and now it has been delayed for baseless reasons. If he had committed any new crime, we might understand, but this is arbitrary. He has been held in Burdur for a year, and due to the distance, we cannot even visit him. It’s been extremely difficult for us. They speak of peace and human rights, where are those rights when someone is not released even after completing their sentence?”
‘OUR FAITH IN PEACE IS BEING SHATTERED’
Sirin Haykir called for the release of all political prisoners: “We want peace. Not just for my husband, but for all prisoners. There was a call, weapons were laid down, but the state takes no steps and does not release the prisoners. We want to live peacefully, like everyone else. If they truly want peace, they must act accordingly and end these practives. I call on all human rights defenders: do not accept this injustice and hear our voice.”
MA / Zeynep Durgut