Abdullah Aydoğan, an 82-year-old Turkish man imprisoned for alleged links to the Gülen movement, was released on parole after losing sight in his right eye during his incarceration, the Kronos news website reported.
According to his family Aydoğan’s health deteriorated significantly while in prison.
“His eyes were healthy before he went to prison,” his wife, Gazel Aydoğan, said. “He can’t see well now, and he also suffers from hearing issues.”
His family also reported that after cataract surgery, he did not want to go back to the hospital for the left eye, which had developed problems, because he was not treated well by the hospital staff.
After the vision loss, Aydoğan frequently sent messages to his family every two to three weeks, seeking help.
Fellow inmates assisted him with basic tasks, while medical support in prison was limited.
Aydoğan, who also suffers from prostate issues, high blood pressure and diabetes, was sentenced to nine years in prison on terrorism charges and was accused of having links to institutions now closed for alleged affiliation with the faith-based Gülen movement.
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 also been frequently criticized for their systematic disregard of the health problems of political prisoners.
Every year rights groups report the death of dozens of sick prisoners, either while behind bars or shortly after their belated release, which often comes at the end-stage of their illnesses.
According to the Human Rights Association (İHD), there were 1,517 sick inmates in Turkish detention facilities as of December 2022, 651 of whom were critically ill.
