A Kurdish mother is pleading for the release of her mentally impaired son, Hacı Elçi, who was sentenced to life in prison despite prior medical reports confirming his condition, the Mezopotamya news agency reported on Friday.
Belkıs Elçi said her son struggles to survive in prison, where he frequently experiences nausea, dizziness and communication difficulties. She claims he cannot care for himself and depends entirely on fellow inmates for his basic needs.
“He’s mentally impaired and has epilepsy. We used to receive a disability payment for him,” she said. “His friends take care of him. How is this justice?”
Elçi, 29, has been imprisoned in the southeastern province of Şırnak since his 2020 conviction on charges of “undermining the unity and integrity of the state.”
His mother said he has been mentally disabled since birth and suffered further debilitation after being shot in the head during curfews imposed in Şırnak’s Cizre district between 2015 and 2016. The shooting caused life-threatening injuries and required months of medical treatment.
The family has been calling for the court’s decision to be overturned and for Elçi’s immediate release. “Everyone in Cizre knows my son and his condition,” said Belkıs Elçi. “This is not justice. This is cruelty. He cannot survive in prison.”
A report from Cizre State Hospital classified Elçi as partially mentally disabled and unfit for military service. However, the Şırnak 2nd High Criminal Court dismissed this assessment, instead relying on a 2018 report from Turkey’s Institute of Forensic Medicine (ATK) that found “no mental illness or intellectual disability” and concluded Elçi was fully capable of understanding his actions during the alleged crime.
The ATK frequently comes under criticism over its questionable reports that find ailing inmates fit to remain in prison. Rights advocates slam the agency over its lack of independence from political influence and its role in compounding the persecution of political prisoners.
Elçi’s legal team had previously sought additional evaluations of his mental health, but the court upheld its original sentence based on the ATK report.
Belkıs Elçi vowed to continue fighting for her son’s freedom. “My only request is for this decision to be reversed and for my son to come home. He doesn’t belong in prison,” she said.