Prisoner not released despite completing sentence

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People's Democratic Party (HDP) Muş Deputy Gülüstan Kılıç-Koçyiğit applied to the Committee on Human Rights Inquiry of the parliament about the rights violations in prisons.

She asked about the situation of the prisoner Dilan Oynaş who has not been released even though her sentence has been completed.

"She has to be released"

Kılıç-Koçyiğit noted the following:

"Violations of rights continue in Turkish prisons. According to the information reflected in the media, prisoner Dilan Oytaş who has been behind bars for six years in Sincan Closed Type Prison has not been released without any justification."

"It has been reported that there are four more prisoners in Sincan Closed Type Prison who have not been released like her. Berrin Sarı, Hanım Yıldırım, Jiyan Ateş, and Rojdan Erez have not been released on the grounds of a decision by the Executive Observation Council of the prison."

116 prisoners are kept behind bars

On 1 January 2021 in Turkey, a regulation came into effect regarding the situation of prisoners who have completed their sentence.

Kılıç-Koçyiğit said that based on the regulation, a lot of prisoners are prevented from being released.

" According to applications made to the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) the number of prisoners who have not been released is at least 116 by February 2022."

"The freedom of the prisoners is dependent on the decisions of the prison administration. This regulation is discriminatory and far from being just. The Committee on Human Rights Inquiry of the parliament has to take action about it. The committee has to put it on agenda " (EMK/TB)