Turkish Justice Ministry delays release of 8,500 prisoners since 2021

Duygu Kıt / Gazete Duvar

In the past three years, one of the most pressing issues in Turkish prisons has been the delay in releases. The regulation passed in the Execution Law allowed for parole postponements by Administrative and Monitoring Boards, which went into effect on January 1, 2021.

According to information obtained by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Human Rights Investigation Commission from the Justice Ministry, Administrative and Prison Monitoring Boards, which have been in effect since 2021, have postponed the release of 8,521 convicts since that date. 

Muharrem Kurşun, a member of the Human Rights Association's Istanbul Branch Prison Commission, stated that political prisoners, who serve longer sentences than other inmates under unequal sentencing, are also hindered by Administrative and Monitoring Board decisions that limit their remaining rights. 

Kurşun said, “Political prisoners used to be released under conditional parole after serving three-fourths of their sentence under Law No. 3713, enacted in 1991, which is against the constitutional principle of equality. We say 'against the principle of equality' because criminal inmates benefit from conditional parole after much shorter sentences. It would not be wrong to say that delays intensified whenever conditional releases increased. The release of the overwhelming majority of political prisoners, whose parole dates had arrived, was postponed."

According to Kurşun, Kadir Karabak’s conditional release from a F-Type Prison in western Turkey’s Tekirdağ province was postponed four times. Kurşun noted that the reasons for Karabak’s release delays serve as an example of punishment, explaining, “One postponement of Kadir Karabak’s release was justified by his children, aged 7 and 9, chanting 'Release our father!' Karabak, who was supposed to be released in six years, served nearly eight full years because he did not renounce his beliefs or identity, and he showed no remorse, resulting in his release being postponed four times.” 

Kurşun also mentioned that Mehmet Emin Çam, who is partially paralyzed on his left side, had his release postponed for performing a traditional dance ("halay").

Kurşun stated that although the regulation applies to both political and criminal convicts, in practice, only political prisoners are affected by these release delays. "We have neither received any applications in our commission nor heard from the media about any criminal convicts whose releases were postponed," Kurşun said.

“I can say that dozens of prisoners have had their releases postponed. Because, under current conditions, any political prisoner who qualifies for conditional parole faces a high likelihood of being added to the list of those with delayed releases.” 

He continued that the Administrative and Monitoring Board enforced a requirement of remorse. “The release of a political prisoner without remorse is postponed for reasons that defy both logic and conscience.” 

Kurşun reemphasized their demand against this human rights violation: “Cancel the regulation that enables these release delays."

(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)