“I will leave here with my head held high; that is what is important,” said İlhan Sami Çomak, a poet and writer who has spent 29 years in prison, after the Silivri Prison Administration and Monitoring Board blocked his release just hours before he was due to be freed. The board unanimously decided to extend his imprisonment by another three months, a move that has left his supporters and legal team stunned.
According to the information shared by the X account (formerly Twitter), Çomak had sent a message from prison saying: “I am well. I am strong and standing. You too be strong. I will leave here with my head held high, that is what is important”.
İpek Özel, Çomak’s legal guardian, expressed her disbelief at the last-minute decision. “We did not expect this. He has been in Silivri for nine years, alone for the last year. There’s no disciplinary punishment, no issues with his behaviour. Legally, everything is on our side. If the law had been followed, this would not have happened,” Özel stated, adding that they have not yet received a reasoned decision.
İlhan Sami Çomak was arrested in 1994 as a 21-year-old geography student at Istanbul University, accused of starting a forest fire and engaging in separatist activities on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Despite a lack of concrete evidence, Çomak was initially sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment after the abolition of the death penalty in Turkey.
His case attracted international attention, particularly after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in 2006 that his trial had been unfair due to the lack of judicial independence. The ECHR ordered Turkey to compensate Çomak and grant him a retrial, but even after a retrial, the life sentence was upheld, prolonging his decades-long incarceration.
Over the years, Çomak has published nine volumes of poetry, gaining recognition for his literary work despite his imprisonment. His poetry, written in Turkish and Kurdish, has been translated into English and continues to inspire readers worldwide. His latest collection, “Separated from the Sun,” was published in the UK in 2022.
As his imprisonment continues, Çomak’s supporters are left questioning the justice system and calling for his immediate release. Despite the setbacks, Çomak’s words and resolve remain unbroken, as he faces yet another extension of his sentence with unwavering dignity.
