Abdulkadir Kuday, a Kurdish inmate suffering from ALS, died in an İstanbul prison after authorities denied his release, Artı Gerçek reported.
Kuday was detained during the Kobani protests in October 2014 and later arrested on terrorism-related charges.
On October 30, 2023 the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) had issued a report stating that Kuday could not see to his own needs in prison, prompting a request for his release. However, this appeal was later denied, and by May 24, his lawyers reported his weight had dropped to a critical 41 kilograms. The decision had sparked outrage from his family and human rights advocates.
Kuday’s brother, Salih, criticized the decision, questioning how someone struggling to breathe and walk could pose a threat to society. “If they admit that this decision is political because my brother is a Kurd who loves his land and people, then we will stop asking,” he said.
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.
Kuday suffered a heart attack over nine months ago, with his family alleging there was a deliberate delay in transferring him to a hospital. Kuday also claimed that he was mistreated at an Istanbul hospital, where he was denied water and neglected.
Kobani, a town in northern Syria, became a focal point in 2014-2015 during a 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.
