President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has issued a pardon for 81-year-old Kerim Boran, a severely ill prisoner serving a sentence on terrorism-related charges, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported.
Boran, who was convicted in 2021 alongside eight other elderly individuals, was accused of mediating family disputes in Iğdır under the Justice Commission of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Courts ruled that these reconciliation efforts were part of an unauthorized judicial mechanism allegedly operated under the influence of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Since his imprisonment, Boran has suffered from multiple chronic conditions, including heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, prostate disease, Parkinson's disease, and both visual and auditory impairments.
In Oct 2023, the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) issued a medical report describing Boran’s condition as “advanced age.” Despite this, he remained in prison.
Following the ATK report, Boran’s attorney applied to the Justice Ministry under the provisions for presidential clemency. The ministry submitted a formal letter to the presidency on Sep 18, along with Boran’s medical documentation.
President Erdoğan later issued a decree removing Boran’s sentence following a request by the Justice Ministry. His release is expected shortly.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan also pardoned 54-year-old Naci Kılıç, who had received multiple prison and monetary sentences for a range of offenses, including armed threats, intentional injury, possession of an unlicensed firearm, establishing a criminal organization, armed robbery for the benefit of a criminal group, operating illegal gambling venues, and attempted murder. The remaining sentence was lifted based on a disability report issued by the ATK.
While Erdoğan has occasionally used his constitutional authority to pardon ill prisoners in the past, pro-Kurdish rights groups have long criticized the continued imprisonment of individuals convicted of PKK-related offenses in severe medical cases.
Boran’s release comes at a time of renewed focus on Kurdish peace efforts in Turkey. In February, Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, called on the group to lay down arms. The PKK subsequently announced its decision to dissolve itself following a May congress, marking a key moment in a new peace process initiated by Erdoğan’s nationalist ally, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli.
The pro-Kurdish Human Rights Association (İHD) estimates that there still hundreds of sick prisoners in Turkey's prisoners, including many severely ill.
In previous years, Erdoğan faced criticism for selectively applying presidential pardons. Among those pardoned were members of the Islamist group Kurdish Hezbollah and individuals convicted in the 1993 Sivas massacre, where 37 Alevi intellectuals were killed in an arson attack.
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(VK)
