ANKARA -  Non of the motions submitted by the HDP was replied regarding the situation of seriosly ill prisoner Mehmet Emin Özkan. HDP MP Fatma Kurtulan said the government will be responsible if Özkan loses his life. 

 

According to the data of the Human Rights Association (İHD), there are 1605 sick prisoners in Turkey 604 of whom are seriously ill. One of these ill prisoners facing that in the prisons of Turkey is Mehmet Emin Özkan. He was arrested in relation with the assasination of Brigadier General Bahtiyar Aydın in 1993. Özkan is in Diyarbakır Type D Closed Prison for 26 days despite the medical report prooves that he is 87% seriously ill. Despite Özkan was rushed to the hospital 7 times since March 17, he is not released. The footage revealing 83 year-old Özkan taken to hospital in handcuffs caused public outcry.  Despite the calls from the public, especially from human rights organizations, for Özkan's release as soon as possible, the Ministry of Justice remains silence.

 

HDP's Kurtulan spoke to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about Özkan's progressing health problems and the government's silence on the issue, despite the calls made regarding Özkan's situation.

 

'HE IS BEING TORTURED RIGHT NOW'

 

Stressing that Özkan should be with his family and at his home during his treatment, Kurtulan said: "Unfortunately they insist on keeping Özkan in prison. We brought this issue to the parliament. Our deputies have given parliamentary questions many times. We personally applied to the Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission. We asked for the urgency of the situation to be addressed and investigated. But unfortunately, he is still being taken to the hospital in handcuffs. Özkan is being tortured right now."

 

Expressing that they have applied everywhere for his release, Kurtulan said: ""Currently, there is no one who does not know about Özkan's situation in Turkey, including the government, the Minister of Justice, the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission, and the Prisons Commission within the Parliament. There are almost 60 parliamentary questions about this before the Ministry of Justice."

 

'GOVERNMENT IS RESPONSIBLE'

 

Underlining that this torture Özkan is being subjected to must end immediately, Kurtulan said: "Non of our parliamentary questions have been replied. Commission did not get back to us on that either. The government subjects this person to this cruelty willingly and knowingly. They know that he is seriously ill. Many sick prisoners left the prisons in coffins. Their condition worsens as they do not have the opportunity to be treated under the current conditions. The state knows this and it is done under their supervision. In the event that Özkan dies here, the state itself is definitely responsible.”

 

Kurtulan said that action should be taken for Özkan's release immediately considering his health condition, and said, "There are people with disabilities who cannot be kept in prison alone, but are still in prison. We will continue our efforts to take seriously the situation regarding them and specifically regarding Mehmet Emin Özkan.”