Mehmet Murat Çalık, the mayor of İstanbul’s Beylikdüzü district undergoing evaluation for a possible recurrence of lymphoma, was transferred back to prison on Wednesday despite growing calls for his release on medical grounds.
Çağla Biçer, a member of the the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), announced the return on X, saying that on August 4 the hospital released a detailed medical report to the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK).
Çalık’s legal team has said the decision on his release or house arrest hinges on a ruling by the ATK.
The ATK frequently comes under criticism over its questionable reports that find ailing inmates fit to remain in prison. Rights advocates slam the agency over its lack of independence from political influence and its role in compounding the persecution of political prisoners.
The transfer marks the second time in just over a month that Çalık, who was arrested in March during a sweeping crackdown on the main opposition CHP, has been hospitalized and then returned to prison.
In early July he was admitted to İzmir Atatürk Teaching and Research Hospital after experiencing significant weight loss and worsening symptoms. A hospital committee report dated July 7 cited serious risks, including signs of potential lymphoma recurrence. He was returned to prison shortly afterward, despite recommendations that he be considered for release due to his deteriorating health.
On July 18 the ATK ordered further tests. Çalık was then readmitted, this time to Bayraklı City Hospital, where he underwent a second bone marrow biopsy on July 25 under sterile conditions.
The case comes amid an intensifying government crackdown on the CHP and its affiliates. Since March, more than 500 people connected to the party or the İstanbul
Among those arrested are 14 CHP mayors, including suspended İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a senior member of the CHP and his party’s presidential candidate for the next election. İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 as part of an investigation that accuses him of corruption and terrorism, widely viewed as politically motivated. He was arrested on corruption charges a few days later.
The detentions follow a series of legal actions against İmamoğlu, whose arrest sparked Turkey’s worst protests in a decade and is seen as targeting the biggest political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election.
İmamoğlu has been sentenced to two prison terms, including one for allegedly insulting a public prosecutor. Both sentences are under appeal, but opposition leaders claim the charges are politically motivated.
International human rights groups and lawmakers in Europe have raised concerns over the rule of law in Turkey, warning that the mass detentions and legal pressures could further erode democratic norms. The Silivri prison complex, where many opposition figures are being held, has become a symbol of the country’s deepening political tensions.
