İzzeddin Yenigün, suffering from intestinal and kidney disorders, was sent back to prison despite his deteriorating condition and his temporary release last year for medical reasons, the Kronos news website reported.
Yenigün, who underwent intestinal surgery in August, was returned to serve the remaining two-and-a-half months of his sentence just before a scheduled doctor’s appointment after the surgery.
“We thought someone in his condition would never be arrested,” said his sister, A.A. “He underwent a five-hour surgery.”
Yenigün was first arrested on June 27, 2018, for working at a private tutoring center linked to the faith-based Gülen movement and sent to Kayseri Bünyan Prison. Although he was in good health at the time, his condition deteriorated rapidly, beginning in 2020 when he was hospitalized for severe abdominal pain. Subsequent surgeries on his intestines and kidneys caused significant weight loss.
In October 2023 Yenigün’s health worsened further while in Antalya Prison. He was moved to intensive care, placed on a ventilator and temporarily released on medical grounds in December 2023.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the corruption investigations of 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 targeting its members. He intensified the crackdown on the movement following 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.
Turkish authorities have denied political prisoners, even those with critical illnesses, release from prison so they can at least seek proper treatment. Human rights activists and opposition politicians have frequently criticized authorities for not releasing critically ill prisoners.
In addition to the thousands who were jailed, scores of other Gülen movement followers had to flee Turkey to avoid the government crackdown.
