Rights advocate Celalettin Can released from prison after 110 days

Celalettin Can, the spokesperson for the '78 Initiative, journalist, and author, has been released from Marmara (Silivri) Prison after 110 days.

Eren Keskin, Co-Chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD), shared the news on social media, stating, "Finally... After the oppression, Celalettin Can has been released. All political prisoners should be released due to their political views, especially and primarily those who are ill!"

Celalettin Can had been sentenced to one year and three months in prison for his one-day editorial role at the Özgür Gündem Newspaper, shut down by a Decree Law (KHK), in solidarity. He was arrested on August 31 after the decision was upheld. Throughout his detention, Can's probationary release rights were revoked due to the adverse conditions of the prison, causing a deterioration in his health.

After his release, Celalettin Can made the following statement in front of the prison: "Today, I have regained my freedom, but there is a sense of bitterness. The reason is that I am leaving behind hundreds of friends in Marmara Prison, unfairly and unlawfully held there. Not only in Marmara Prison but throughout Turkey, they deny people the right to probationary release. They keep thousands of people in prison, and the issue of 'prison' stands as a problem in front of us. The democratic and progressive forces in Turkey must address this issue. Our friends who struggle for democracy against fascism, who have paid the price multiple times, should be released. We can develop this effort with a strong sense of solidarity."

"They segregate people in prison"

Speaking to bianet, Celalettin Can criticized the divisive approach within prisons, stating, "They segregate people in prison as biased or unbiased. For instance, if you advocate for old values, if you want to live in prison in an organized way under this framework, in a communal manner, they see you as 'biased' and don't release you."

Can continued, "But if you switch to an 'unbiased' ward, sever your ties with your structure, and express your regret in the proper way, they say they will release you. They tried to apply this to me as well. They said, 'Do you want to get out? Do you want to benefit from probationary release? Do you want to benefit from age-related release? Do you want to benefit from health-related release? Then we want you to move to an 'unbiased' ward; we don't want anything else.'"

Can criticized this situation upon entering prison, stating, "After all, I am a political convict. I said, 'Why are you exploiting people's freedoms,' and although I was in a situation to be released from the first day, they kept me inside for three and a half months. They had no intention of releasing me. However, thanks to the solidarity of journalists like you, the Human Rights Association, lawyer friends, and some MPs, and the public pressure that emerged, I was released."

Drawing attention to the situation of ill prisoners, Can said, "There are people who have been held in prisons for over 30 years. They use a disciplinary punishment as an excuse and keep these people for another six months. This system is implemented in prisons. It is necessary to talk about this more and bring it to the agenda." (VC/VK)