Turkey’s justice system is under increasing scrutiny for its treatment of elderly and sick Kurdish prisoners, with human rights groups and political figures calling for urgent reforms. The neglect of these prisoners, many suffering from severe health conditions, highlights a broader pattern of discrimination within Turkey’s penal system, particularly against Kurdish political detainees.
The issue came to the forefront after Turkey’s Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç dismissed a parliamentary inquiry regarding the imprisonment of several elderly and chronically ill Kurdish individuals. Tunç stated that the Ministry of Justice lacked statistical data on the number of prisoners with disabilities or severe health conditions, a response that sparked outrage among human rights advocates.
The inquiry was initiated by Zeynep Oduncu, a deputy from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, who raised concerns over the recent detention of nine individuals from the village of Bilêxşê in Batman’s (Êlih) Gercüş (Kercews) district, including a 54-year-old woman with a 71% disability rating and a 68-year-old man unable to care for himself. Oduncu criticised the Justice Ministry’s response as “lacking seriousness”, emphasising the ongoing issue of elderly and sick prisoners being left to die in Turkish jails without proper medical care.
“The Ministry of Justice has failed to address the urgent needs of sick and elderly prisoners, who are being detained under inhumane conditions,” Oduncu stated. “Despite numerous reports from human rights organisations, the government continues to ignore this critical issue, leading to unnecessary deaths.”
This neglect is part of a broader pattern of discrimination against Kurdish political prisoners in Turkey. Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has been held in solitary confinement for over 25 years, with no access to his lawyers or family since 2019. His harsh treatment has been widely condemned by international human rights organisations and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
In 2014, the ECtHR ruled that Turkey’s refusal to grant Öcalan the right to conditional release was a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, urging Turkey to amend its laws. However, despite this ruling, Turkey has made no significant changes to its penal code, continuing to impose severe restrictions on Öcalan and other political prisoners.
Gülseren Yoleri, head of the İstanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD), highlighted the broader implications of Turkey’s approach. “The ECtHR has repeatedly found Turkey in violation of human rights concerning its treatment of prisoners, yet the government remains defiant. This is not just about Abdullah Öcalan; it’s about the systemic discrimination against all political prisoners, particularly those of Kurdish origin,” Yoleri stated.
In response to Minister Tunç’s claim that the Ministry lacks data on sick prisoners, the Turkish anti-torture group Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT) released detailed reports covering 10-12 August 2024. The HRFT report documented numerous rights violations against prisoners, including those with severe health conditions, and challenged the Ministry’s assertions. The report included cases like that of Özcan Babayiğit, a prisoner in Erzurum’s Oltu T-Type Prison, whose untreated health conditions have worsened due to inadequate medical care in detention.
Yoleri also emphasised the urgent need for reforms, noting that “Turkey’s current penal system, which condemns prisoners to life imprisonment without any hope of release, is in direct violation of international human rights standards. This system must be overhauled to ensure that no prisoner is left to die in prison due to neglect.”
As Turkey prepares for the upcoming review by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in September, the international community is closely watching to see whether Turkey will address these human rights concerns. The committee will assess Turkey’s compliance with ECtHR rulings, including those related to the treatment of Abdullah Öcalan and other political prisoners.
