Abdurrahman Oral was released from Elbistan E-type prison on 22 April after 30 years of imprisonment. He had been detained many times since 1980. He was kept behind bars for one year in 1988 and then released. In 1992 he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Maraş province of southeastern Turkey. Oral spoke to Mesopotamia News Agency about his experiences of captivity over the last 30 years.“We have been through various injustices; they did not even provide me with glasses,” he said.
He drew attention to the prisoners being forced to go to medical referrals while handcuffed. “Prisoners are not treated because they do not consent to go while handcuffed. Friends are brought back to prison, this is a big problem.” Oral also pointed out that many prisoners died due to late diagnosis and inadequate treatment. “We lost a friend, Ibrahim, during the pandemic. The mentality that still defends the execution of prisoners is actually continuing in Turkey.”
He continued: “War politics will not solve the Kurdish question. This policy has been continuing for 40 years. Conflict must end. Dialogue and negotiations with Imrali must begin. This is my dream.”