After spending three decades behind bars, Kurdish political prisoner Ferhan Ay was released from İzmir Şakran Prison in Turkey on Friday. Ferhan Ay, who was arrested in the Nusaybin (Nisêbîn) district of Kurdish-majority Mardin (Mêrdîn) city in 1993 on terrorism charges, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Although Ay was due to be released 40 days ago, his freedom was delayed due to a 40-day hospital treatment that was added to his sentence. However, on 9 June, at the age of 60, he finally walked out of prison, marking the end of his long and arduous incarceration.
Outside the prison, Ay was met with a heartwarming reception. His relatives, members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Fehime Poyraz (mother of Deniz Poyraz, was murdered by an armed assailant who stormed the HDP Izmir office in 2021), and executives from the Aegean Association for Solidarity with Families of Prisoners (EGE-TUHAYDER) eagerly awaited his release. Fehime Poyraz, with tears in her eyes, handed flowers to Ay as a symbol of joy and support.
Addressing the gathered crowd upon his release, Ay expressed a mix of emotions. “After 30 years, I am finally out of prison. I am free, but only partially. My comrades, with whom I spent three decades, remain behind bars. We cannot truly be free until all our people and friends are liberated. Although I feel a bittersweet joy right now, leaving my friends behind was immensely difficult. Our hope lies in the freedom of all our companions,” Ay emotionally conveyed.
Ay returned to his hometown of Mardin on Sunday, where he will begin his journey of readjusting to life outside prison walls.
