PodcastTurkish court arrests disabled and severely ill 78-year-old man
A Turkish court has arrested disabled 78-year-old man Emin Soyal over “membership and propaganda of an illegal organization.” Soyal is officially 91% disabled and severely ill.
Duvar English
A Turkish court on Oct. 23 arrested disabled 78-year-old man Emin Soyal on charges of “membership and propaganda of an illegal organization.”
Police previously had detained Soyal and four others in the southeastern Şırnak province with a raid operation.
The move came despite Soyal is officially 91% disabled and has a pacemaker, suffers from lung disease, as well as hearing and vision loss, the daily BirGün reported on Oct. 27.
Soyal’s son has stated that his father required constant special care and only left his house for hospital visits. He added that his father could not survive in a prison setting, requesting his father’s immediate release.
Saruhan Uluç, a deputy from the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP), brought Soyal’s arrest to the parliament. “When it comes to Kurds, there is no compassion, no justice, no rule of law,” he stated and demanded the juidiciary to abide by international principles of law.
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