Doctors examined 80-year-old Kurdish prisoner 'with body language' as no interpreter provided

Doctors at the Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) communicated with an 80-year-old Kurdish prisoner "with body language" as no interpreter was provided, according to her son and lawyer.

Makbule Özer, 80, wh0 has been in prison on "terrorism"-related charges since May, was sent to the ATK for treatment on August 29.

However, during the examination, she wasn't able to communicate with the doctors properly as she doesn't speak Turkish and a translator was not present, the Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported on Friday (August 26).

The doctors told Özer, "We already have a report. You don't need to tell anything," Dilan Kunt, her lawyer, told the agency.

Rather, the doctors communicated with Özer with "body language," and did not listen to the patient's story, said the lawyer.

Her son, Medeni Özer, told the Medyascope news portal, "They could listen to the guardian with her, who speaks Kurdish, as an interpreter. We are cheering my mother up but her condition is getting worse and worse. We are worried about her life." 

Makbule Özer was previously infected with Covid-19 and now has bone loss, Mahmut Karakaş, the co-chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD) in Van, told Rudaw. 

Ministry's statement

The Ministry of Justice on Saturday released a statement in response to the reports, saying that the patient had not requested an interpreter.

"There was no communication problem between the physicians and the patient, she understood and correctly applied the movements requested from her during the examination, therefore, there was no need for an interpreter, and neither she nor her lawyer requested an interpreter," it said.

The ATK has personnel who can act as interpreters in several languages, including Kurdish, Laz language, English, German, French, Arabic, and Russian, the ministry added.

The ministry did not deny the lawyer's statement that the doctors had not listened to the patient's story.

Imprisonment

Makbule Özer, and her spouse, Hadi Özer, 70, were remanded in custody for "aiding and abetting an illegal organization" on May 10.

They were sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for this offense and sent to the Van High Security Prison.

The case was filed in July 2018 following a raid on their house, after which all family members were detained.

In an interview with bianet in June, lawyer Kunt said the ATK had issued a report that we could stay in prison despite being "55 percent disabled" and living in a wheelchair. (VK)