Mehmet Murat Çalık, the jailed mayor of Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü district, has been moved to intensive care amid serious health complications and suspicions of cancer, Turkish media reported.
In a statement made yesterday lawyer Melih Koçhan said Çalık had been taken to Buca State Hospital on Wednesday due to health problems he experienced in prison and was then moved to İzmir Katip Çelebi University’s Atatürk Teaching and Research Hospital. After initial examinations, he was admitted to the coronary intensive care unit. Çalık underwent an angiography on Thursday morning.
Çalık was arrested in March during a sweeping crackdown on the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). He had previously undergone treatment for leukemia and lymphoma and has reportedly lost around 18 kilograms while in custody. He has also been experiencing thyroid-related health issues.
Following medical reports indicating strong signs of a recurrence of lymphoma, human rights groups and CHP deputies have called for Çalık’s release.
Despite these calls, Çalık was returned to prison on Tuesday, shortly after undergoing a biopsy. His return went against a hospital report issued during his visit to the hospital that strongly recommended his release pending trial due to the high risk of cancer recurrence.
In the wake of Çalık’s hospitalization, lawyers, opposition deputies, and human rights groups have taken to social media to renew their calls for his release.
Çalık was detained on March 19 during the early stages of a large-scale investigation targeting İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his close circle. He spent several days in custody before a court arrested him on March 23 on charges that include corruption-related offenses such as bribery and membership in a criminal organization.
