841 prisoners are kept in Turkish jails despite of their critical health conditions, according to recent figures shared by Turkey’s Justice Ministry.
Justice Ministry revealed the number of chronic sick prisoners who are in critical conditions as a response to a question motion submitted by Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi, a deputy from the main opposition Republican People Party (CHP) on Monday.
According to the figures given by the ministry, 31 out of 841 chronic sick prisoners in jails across Turkey are women. 795 of those prisoners, who are awaiting their release after their applications to the prosecutors’s offices because of their critical health conditions, are convicted and 46 of them are arrested. The number of sick prisoners in critical health conditions in 2013 was only 63 and the current figure has been indicating that a 1,235 percent increase.
Currently, 1,086 sick prisoners in critical health conditions are kept in Turkish prisons since their applications for the postponment of their jail terms have not been accepted by the Justice Ministry. Therefore, these prisoners are waiting their death in the jails.
In the last five years, 451 prisoners lost their lives because they were not released from the prisons despite of their critical and chronic health problems. In 2016, 172 prisoners lost their lives as they were waiting a decision for release from the Justice Ministry after their applications for the postponment of their prison terms.
According to the ministry’s figures the number of the prisoners who lost their lives because of their critical health conditions for years as follow: 51 prisoners in 2013, 63 prisoners in 2014, 145 prisoners in 2015, 172 prisoners in 2016 and 20 prisoners in the first two months of 2017. Also, it is reported that in the last five years, 832 prisoners have been released by the ministry due to their critical health conditions.
May 8, 2017
