İHD Activists Send Solidarity Letters to Sick Prisoners

Members of the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD) gathered in Galatasaray Square in central Istanbul to express their solidarity with nine prisoners who are not being released despite being critically ill.

"We don't want excuses, we want a solution", said the activists, who wrote letters to prisoners with critical health, among them Güler Zere, Erol Zavar, Yusuf Kaplan, Hüseyin Balar, Hayati Kaytan, Latif Badur and A. Samet Çelik.

According to a report of the period of January to June prepared by the İHD, there are 28 people with health problems in prison.

At the protest, which took place yesterday (5 August), branch president Gülseren Yoleri made a short speech. Then Ümit Efe, secretary of the branch, read a press statement, accusing the government of not wanting to solve the issue of health problems in prison.

"It is a basic human right for prisoners to receive equal and sufficient health care."

"That is why we call on authorities to be humane and do their duty, and for the prisoners to be released so they can make use of their right to the necessary treatment."

Double standards

The statement reminded people that six prisoners died in prison because of worsening health, while seven people in the Ergenekon trial, with less serious illnesses were issued reports by the Forensic Medical Institute that led to their release.

"The Forensic Medical Institute does not issue reports for some people even though they are on the verge of dying. The institution, which ignores the criteria of objectivity, neutrality and independence necessary for expertise and which serves government and state politics with its practices is, together with government authorities, responsible for each of these deaths."

Efe added, "Patients in prison do not receive adequate health care and if their treatment cannot be provided under those conditions, we demand their release."

"Discriminatory practices must end. For that, the criminal procedure law must change and rather than reports from the Forensic Medical Institute, reports fom university hospitals should be referred to."

The protest ended with Abdulbaki Boğa from the İHD reading out the letter that the demonstrators sent to prisoners.

Meanwhile, members of the Platform for Freedom for Güler Zere staged a protest in front of parliament in Ankara yesterday.

No meeting with Üskül

They called for Zere to be released and for an end to double standards. Ebru Timtik, Zere's lawyer, said that MP Zafer Üskül, head of the Parliamentarian Human Rights Committee and other Justice and Development Party (AKP) MPs had refused to give them an appointment.

"They said that because of the Speaker of Parliament elections they were busy for two days. But the elections cannot be more important than the life of Zere."

Members of the platform met with three MPs from the Democratic Society Party (DTP), Hasip Kaplan, Akın Birdal and Bengü Yıldız, as well as Istanbul's independent MP Ufuk Uras and Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Ahmet Ersin. (BÇ/AG)