LGBTQ rights advocates have urged Turkish authorities to release imprisoned activist Asya Gökalp on the grounds that she is chronically ill and faces the risk that her health will deteriorate in prison, the BirGün daily reported.
Gökalp was detained on May 2 and later jailed in Turkey’s İzmir province over a social media post criticizing the country’s right-wing and nationalist movements. She was charged with “inciting hatred and hostility among the public.”
Her lawyer, Deniz Can Aydın, said Gökalp had recently undergone brain surgery following a stage two brain cancer diagnosis and warned that prison conditions posed a serious risk to her already fragile health.
“The hygiene in her ward is extremely poor. Drains are clogged, and the sinks are unsanitary. Because she couldn’t access her medication on time and the environment was unhealthy, she had a seizure shortly after being admitted,” said Aydın.
Aydın added that Gökalp had been verbally abused by prison guards for being lesbian.
According to Law No. 5275, the sentence of a prisoner who due to a serious illness or disability is unable to manage life on their own under prison conditions and who is not considered a serious danger to society may be suspended until they recover. However, the stipulated suspension of sentence is often not implemented.
A report by the Human Rights Association revealed there were currently at least 1,412 sick inmates, including hundreds who are critically ill, being held in prison.
The report, based on information gathered from prisoner families, lawyers and prison visits, found that 335 prisoners are in critical condition, with 230 unable to manage their basic daily needs by themselves.
