The staff of an İstanbul hospital has allegedly mistreated Abdulkadir Kuday, a Kurdish inmate suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), denying him water and neglecting his personal care, the Mezopotamya news website reported on Tuesday.
Kuday, who also suffers from heart and stomach problems, was hospitalized in Istanbul on August 22 after experiencing lung issues.
“He take care of his needs on his own, yet the hospital staff still has not provided the necessary care or helped him maintain personal hygiene [during his stay],” his lawyer, Eda Önal, said. “He has dropped to 40 kilograms, cannot swallow and is unable to express himself.”
Kuday remains imprisoned despite an October 30, 2023 report from the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) confirming that he needs medical care. The report indicated that Kuday could not survive without help from caretakers, prompting a request for his release, which was later denied on the grounds that he poses a “danger to society.” The decision had sparked outrage from his family and human rights advocates.
Initially diagnosed with a herniated disc in 2021, Kuday underwent surgery, only to later discover he had been misdiagnosed. He was eventually diagnosed with ALS, a debilitating neurological disease that has left him partially paralyzed and unable to perform basic functions without assistance.
Detained during the Kobani protests in October 2014 and later arrested on terrorism-related charges, Kuday has since been transferred between multiple prisons and is currently held at the Metris R (Rehabilitation) Type Prison in İstanbul.
Kobani, a town in northern Syria, became a focal point in 2014-2015 during conflict between Kurdish forces, primarily the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants. The Kurdish forces’ defense of the town received widespread attention and led to demonstrations of solidarity among Kurds in various regions, including Turkey, where expressions of solidarity with Kobani have often been met with scrutiny, particularly in a political climate where Kurdish political movements are closely monitored by the state.
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.
