AMED – Seniha Atalay said that the health problems of her ill prisoner son Ömer Atalay, who is held in Diyarbakır No. 1 Prison, have worsened and said: "The day I went to the visit, he could not walk, he came holding on to the walls."

 

The health problems of ill prisoner Ömer Atalay in Diyarbakır No. 1 High Security Prison are worsening. Atalay was detained and arrested while injured during the curfew in Sur in 2016. In his trial, Atalay was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and 13 years in prison four times on the allegations of "disrupting the unity of the state and territorial integrity", "attempting to kill a person performing public duty" and "being a member of a terror organisation". Atalay has a piece of shrapnel in his head and a bullet in his left foot. Atalay was hospitalized on January 8 due to heart disease and on January 9 due to a herniated disc.

 

HE CANNOT USE HIS RIGHT FOOT

 

İrem Alkaş, the daughter of Atalay's uncle, stated that she went to see him on January 9 and said that Atalay's hernia had burst and therefore he could not walk. Stating that Atalay needed to have an MRI scan due to his health problems, but he could not enter the MRI device due to the shrapnel in his body and the bullet, Alkaş stated that his cousin's health had deteriorated to the point that he could not even meet his toilet needs.

 

MOTHER ATALAY: LET US TREAT HIM

 

Atalay's mother, Seniha Atalay, stated that she visited her son 3 weeks ago and said: “The day I went to the visit, he could not walk. He came by holding on to the walls, he left by holding on to the walls. If they don't treat him, let me treat him. Isn't this cruelty?”

 

Stating that the prisoners are face to face with death, Atalay addressed the whole world and the Kurds and said: “Let's stand up, join up and go to the prisons. What do we do at home? Our young people are putting their lives on the line, will we stay at home? We need to stay ahead of the dungeons. We are no better than our children. We no longer accept this cruelty. Enough, enough, enough!”

 

Mother Atalay added that despite her son's health problems, he started a hunger strike for the physical freedom of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan and that he was in high spirits, adding: "The prisoners state that they will not quit the hunger strike until Abdullah Öcalan is free. Our leader has been in prison for 25 years. They won't let either his visitors, his lawyers, or his family visit. We do not accept this. There is no freedom for us unless our leader is free. With his freedom, the isolation on the people in Turkey will be abolished”

 

Father Hacı Atalay stated that his son became ill after a 10-day hunger strike and demanded that the voices of the prisoners be heard and their demands be met.