Adil Somalı, a 55-year-old businessman sentenced to over six years in prison for alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, died on Saturday in western Turkey after his parole was delayed, the Kronos news website reported.
Somalı, who had served three-and-a-half years, was scheduled for parole on July 11. However, his release was delayed by 15 days because prison authorities failed to convene, a relative said.
Administrative observation boards, review bodies established in Turkish prisons in January 2021, have been delaying the parole of prisoners by three to six months, raising concerns of multiple rights violations.
In particular, many political prisoners have been denied parole on such arbitrary grounds as reading publications not approved of by the authorities, socializing with other political prisoners and “failure to display remorse.”
Between 2021 and 2023 the release of a total of 384 prisoners eligible for parole was postponed, according to data from the Human Rights Association (İHD).
After learning of the delay, Somalı reportedly suffered a seizure, lapsed into a coma and subsequently died.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the corruption investigations of December 2013, which implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. He intensified the crackdown on the movement after an abortive putsch in 2016, which he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
