Women’s groups call for Kurdish politician, ill prisoner Aysel Tuğluk’s release

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68 women's organizations have released a joint statement about the deteriorating health condition of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) former MP Aysel Tuğluk, who is held in Kocaeli Prison.

In a statement released by her lawyers a few days ago, it was underlined that Aysel Tuğluk, who has been behind bars since 2016, is having memory loss and cannot do her daily activities on her own.

The İstanbul Forensic Medicine Institution, in mid-September, gave a report of "she can stay in prison" for the jailed politician. The Kocaeli Medical Institution's report had indicated that "she could not stay in prison." The requests of her lawyers for release are repeatedly rejected.

Against this backdrop, 68 women's rights organizations released a written statement today (December 21) and said, "It is time to solidarize with Aysel Tuğluk", underlining that "the administrative and legal authorities who ignore the report of 'she cannot stay in prison' will be responsible for any unfavorable consequences concerning Tuğluk's health."

The organizations also urged the authorities to release Aysel Tuğluk so that her treatment can continue in the necessary conditions.

The full statement is as follows:

'Act in line with the law, science, conscience'

"One of the Kurdish politicians imprisoned in the Kocaeli No. 1 Type F Prison since December 2016 is Aysel Tuğluk.

"Aysel Tuğluk is the first woman who co-chaired a political party in the history of Kurdish political parties and the only woman who faced a political ban as she was banned from politics after the Democratic Society Party was closed. She is also a lawyer, a human rights defender and a politician who has devoted her whole life to the Kurds' struggle for freedom and equality that will culminate in an honorable peace.

"Her efforts, her struggle and her stance in the life that she has devoted herself to have left a deep mark on our recent political history.

"As everyone knows, she witnessed the racist attack and inhuman attitude against her mother's funeral, which has left an irreparable damage on her memory. Undertaking her treatment and medical examination for months, the Kocaeli Medical Faculty's Forensic Medicine Institution unanimously prepared a report indicating that she was not in a state to stay in prison; despite this report, a new report issued by the İstanbul Forensic Medicine Institution indicated the exact opposite.

"This institution, which has long come to the fore with its reports in breach of ethics, conscience, science and law, has issued yet another one of its reports against the science of medicine and constantly concluding that political prisoners 'can stay in prison' despite their serious and terminal illnesses. In this report given for Tuğluk, the illness of dementia has been denied.

"Her lawyers' appeal to 'Supreme Board' against the contradictory reports are left unanswered; the deterioration of her illness is looked on.

"We object to what Aysel Tuğluk, as a politician who has fought all types of violence against women for years and struggled for women's freedom, is made to go through today; we request her release. In the light of our request of 'Justice for Women', we also reiterate our demand for freedom for Tuğluk and all women who are imprisoned for political reasons like her.

"The state, primarily the Justice Ministry, is responsible for the failure to fulfil the requirements of the comprehensive committee report indicating that Aysel Tuğluk cannot stay in prison. The administrative and legal authorities who ignore the report of 'she cannot stay in prison' will be responsible for any unfavorable consequences concerning Tuğluk's health.

"We call on all authorities who have a role in this unlawful process imposed on her to act in line with law, science and conscience; recall that Tuğluk must be freed as soon as possible so that her treatment can continue in necessary conditions and reiterate our call for SOLIDARITY".

What happened?

On December 29, 2016, when she was the Vice Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Kurdish politician Aysel Tuğluk was arrested along with seven other politicians from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and the Democratic Society Congress (DTK).

The indictment filed against Tuğluk, who was the DTK Co-Chair till September 2014, brought her statements to the press as well as the funerals that she attended as criminal evidence against the politician.

On March 16, 2018, the Ankara 17th Heavy Penal Court sentenced Aysel Tuğluk to 8 years in prison as per the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) no. 3713. Increasing this prison term by half, the court then gave a 12-years prison sentence to the politician. Lastly, it has decreased this prison sentence by one sixth and ruled that she shall be sentenced to 10 years in prison.

As Aysel Tuğluk's appeal to the Ankara Regional Court of Justice was rejected, her file was sent to the Court of Cassation.

Her mother's funeral

Aysel Tuğluk's mother Hatun Tuğluk lost her life in 2017. Upon her last will, her deceased body was brought to the İncek Cemetery in Ankara. Aysel Tuğluk left prison by permission and her mother was laid to rest; shortly afterwards, a group of 5-6 people gathered to protest the funeral.

The ones who attended the funeral said that this number gradually increased and they tried to attack the grave.

As the attacks continued, the deceased body of Hatun Tuğluk had to be removed from the ground and laid to rest somewhere else. One of the people who attacked the funeral turned out to have a picture with Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu at the police station.

Health problems

Aysel Tuğluk's elder brother Alaattin Tuğluk said that his sister had a memory loss after their mother's passing:

My sister didn't look fine. She asks the same question 3-4 times. She doesn't remember some things. For instance, when she wants to ask about someone from the family, she says, 'Who was that, who?' They are close people, it is impossible for her to not know them. I am concerned that this will come to an irreversible point and that we will lose my sister... I want treatment before it is too late. Let another committee examine her and give a decision accordingly. She is given 1-2 medications now. It is not enough. She will go [to jail] after her treatment ends.

About Aysel Tuğluk

Politician.

She was the founding member and Co-Chair of the Democratic Society Party (DTP) and elected Diyarbakır MP in 2007-2009. She became the Van MP of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in 2011-2015. She served as the Vice Co-Chair of the HDP responsible for Law and Human Rights.

Aysel Tuğluk was also a member of the Society and Law Studies Foundation Executive Board, a member of the Human Rights Association (İHD) and the founder of the Patriotic Women's Association.

Born in Elazığ in 1965, she graduated from the Faculty of Law of İstanbul University and worked as a self-employed lawyer. (TP/SD)