Prisoner Bilgin found dead in ward 5 months before his release

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Behind bars for 30 years and to be released five months later, Mehmet Hanefi Bilgin (58) was found dead in his prison ward.

The administration of the Bolu Type F Closed Prison, where Bilgin was held, called his family and said, "Mehmet Hanefi Bilgin had a heart attack."

The deceased body of the prisoner was sent to the Ankara Forensic Medicine Institution in the capital city. The family came in front of the Forensic Medicine Institution to receive the deceased body. The Ankara Organization of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD) also came in front of the Institution.

Speaking to the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Bilgin's elder brother Veysel Bilgin said that his brother had been arrested since 1992 and he had another heart attack 3 years ago: "We were waiting for his release, we were waiting to have him treated. My mother was talking to him on the phone for 3 weeks. [...] He was going to be released on June 27. We were talking about this now. He was not giving information about the prison conditions."

Bilgin indicated that they made an application for supervised release as less than a year was left of his brother's prison term, but this application was rejected: "While we were waiting for my brother's release, we got the news of his death. We were woken up by the news of his death. We are now waiting for the result of the Forensic Medicine Institution."

Elder brother Veysel Bilgin said that after receiving the result, they would lay the deceased prisoner to rest in Bingöl province.

HDP: 8 prisoners died in 3 months

HDP Vice Co-Chair responsible for Law and Human Rights Commission Ümit Dede has released a written statement about the death of prisoner Mehmet Hanefi Bilgin in Bolu Type F Closed Prison. Dede has raised concerns that with the passing of Bilgin, the number of prisoners who lost their lives in Turkey's prisons has increased to eight in the past three months.

The Marmara Region Prison Monitoring Delegation, an umbrella platform of rights, law and health organizations, announced on January 12 that seven people lost their lives in Turkey's prisons in a month:

• November 12, 2021 - Held in the İskenderun Type T Prison, 33-year-old Bangin Muhammed lost his life on the grounds that he had not been treated despite being severely ill.
• December 9, 2021 - Held in the Kocaeli No. 1 Type F High Security Closed Prison, Garibe Gezer was found dead in the padded cell where she had been isolated. The administration stated that she had committed suicide. Conducting an investigation, the prosecutor's office first imposed a confidentiality order on the file.
• December 15, 2021 - Held in the İzmir Aliağa Şakran Type T Prison, 65-year-old Abdülrezzak Şuyur lost his life in his cell because he had not been released despite his advanced cancer.
• December 15, 2021 - In the severely ill prisoners' list of the İHD, Halil Günel lost his life in his cell in the Diyarbakır No. 2 Prison.
• December 17, 2021 - Sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment over a judicial case and held in the Bolu Type T Closed Prison, 32-year-old İlyas Demir lost his life in the cell where he was staying alone.
• December 18, 2021 - Held in the Antalya Type Closed Prison due to a judicial case, Mustafa Gaffar was found hanged with a bad sheet by the personnel who came to his ward.
• December 19, 2021 - Arrested in the Tekirdağ No. 2 Type F High Security Closed Prison, Vedat Erkmen suspiciously died in his cell; the administration informed his family that he had committed suicide.

(RT/SD)