71-year-old ill prisoner put in confinement after angiography

Mehmet Sait Yıldırım, a 71-year-old inmate at İzmir Kırıklar F-Type Prison, has undergone angiography only to be returned to solitary confinement, where he has been held for three years.

Yıldırım, grappling with hypertension, heart ailments, COPD, and arterial stiffness, received a medical report in 2015 stating that solitary confinement is unsuitable for his health. Despite warnings from Diyarbakır Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital in 2015 and a subsequent committee report from İzmir Ödemiş District State Hospital in 2017, Yıldırım was placed in solitary confinement three years ago under the Ministry of Justice's directive.

Concerns about Yıldırım's deteriorating health were expressed by his brother, Hasan Yıldırım, following a recent angiography at Atatürk Yeşilyurt State Hospital.

"During our recent visit, his health was not good. He stays in a solitary room in his frail state. Having been in prison for 28 years, his condition wasn't good even when we visited him. This situation is frightening for our family. This injustice must be put to an end as soon as possible," said Yıldırım.

Highlighting the worsening state of his brother, Yıldırım publicly appealed, urging an immediate end to the injustice.

Mehmet Sait Yıldırım underwent angiography on December 18, 2023, at Atatürk Yeşilyurt State Hospital. Initially sent to İmralı High-Security Closed Prison in 2015, Yıldırım, fulfilling "secretarial duties" upon the request of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, faced heart issues and was transferred to Bolu F-Type Closed Prison nine days later. Since 2018, he has been confined in solitary at Kırıklar Prison. (RT/VK)