RIHA - Sinan Türkmen, whose release was postponed 5 times and who spent 33 years of his life in prison, pointed to the Peace and Democratic Society Process and said, "We should be aware of our responsibilities by asking the question 'How will we succeed? 

 

Sinan Türkmen was arrested after being detained in Riha (Urfa) in October 1992 and sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of "disrupting the unity and integrity of the state". Türkmen was held in Diyarbakır, Antep, Çankırı and Sincan prisons respectively. Finally, he was transferred to Bolu F-Type Closed Prison in 2008. 

 

Türkmen was supposed to be released after completing 30 years of execution. However, his release was prevented 5 times by the decision of the Administration and Observation Board established in prisons on 1 January 2021. After nearly 33 years of imprisonment, Turkmen was released on 3 September along with 5 other prisoners in the same situation. Following his release, Turkmen joined his family in his hometown of Riha. 

 

SITUATION OF ILL PRISONERS

 

Speaking about the unlawfulness he has been experiencing, Türkmen said that the release of more than 100 people who have been detained in prisons for more than 30 years is still being prevented in a similar manner. "It is not correct to call this legal. This is a political decision," he said. 

 

Türkmen said that the government has turned the releases in prisons into blackmail. Pointing out that there are many ill prisoners in prison: "There are nearly 10 seriously ill prisoners in Bolu. They are unable to survive on their own. Their treatment is not humane."

 

Stating that the Peace and Democratic Society Process was welcomed with excitement among the prisoners in Bolu Prison as in all prisons, Türkmen said: "This was beyond what we expected and hoped for. The new paradigm, the new process took us by surprise too. Yes, we sat down and discussed, but this was based on an internal political evaluation. It was never an evaluation and discussion based on handling the process from a negative perspective."  

 

'WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?' 

 

Expressing that their confidence in the process comes from their faith in Abdullah Öcalan, Türkmen concluded: "We know that prisons are the area that will be most affected by the process. We think that the approach to the process will gradually improve. We think that they will somehow carry out this process for ill prisoners. We see that there are question marks among the public as well. What we need to focus on is what we ourselves will do. By asking ourselves the question 'How will we succeed?' we should be aware of our needs and responsibilities. Our belief is our will."

 

MA / Ceylan Şahinli