Ill prisoner İsmail Hakkı Tursun's release delayed for third time
The release of İsmail Hakkı Tursun, who has been held in prison for 31 years, has been postponed for the third time, citing lack of good conduct, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported.
The 59-year-old, held at the Urfa High-Security Closed Prison No. 2, completed his sentence on December 9, 2022. However, the prison's Administration and Observation Board had previously deferred his release twice for six months each time, claiming that Tursun "showed no remorse." The latest postponement was decided on December 13.
Among the reasons for delaying Tursun's release are disciplinary punishments due to his participation in hunger strikes protesting issues such as the prison conditions of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, Turkey's operations against Kurdish groups in Syria, and human rights violations in prisons.
Release of 28 prisoners from 13 prisons delayed
In December 1992, Tursun was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of "disrupting the unity and integrity of the state."
Listed among the seriously ill prisoners by the Human Rights Association (İHD), Tursun suffers from conditions like hypertension and herniated disc.
The practice of delaying the release of political prisoners despite the expiration of their sentences due to similar reasons has become a common occurrence in recent years. (VK)