A university student arrested during demonstrations sparked by the arrest and suspension from office of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was taken to a hospital after fainting in her cell during Wednesday’s powerful earthquake, an incident her lawyers say exposed dangerous negligence by prison staff, Turkish Minute reported on Friday.
Esila Ayık, who suffers from chronic kidney and heart conditions, was detained and subsequently arrested on April 9 for carrying a sign reading “Dictator Erdoğan” during a demonstration in İstanbul. She is being held in pretrial detention at Bakırköy Women’s Prison.
According to attorney Göksun Canberk Uluğ, prison guards abandoned their posts but left inmates locked in their cells during Wednesday’s 6.2-magnitude earthquake. Ayık fainted during the chaos, and although the guards initially refused to take her to the hospital, she was eventually transported to a medical facility after fellow inmates insisted.
Uluğ told Birgün that the guards initially refused to take Ayık to the hospital although her blood pressure dropped and pulse spiked, saying it was just a panic attack.
She was only taken for medical care after fellow inmates insisted, according to the lawyer.
Ayık was reportedly anxious about her loved ones after the quake but was given no information until she returned from the hospital in the evening.
“She couldn’t calm down until she was told there were no collapsed buildings and everyone was safe,” Uluğ said.
Birgün also reported that Ayık hasn’t been provided with her prescribed medication.
Her lawyers have filed for her release on medical grounds, but the courts have yet to respond. A request by the İstanbul Chamber of Physicians’ (İTO) to examine her has also gone unanswered.
A photography student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium, Ayık had been living there on a valid residence permit before coming to Turkey for a 20-day visit, her father, Kemal Ayık, told Halk TV earlier this week.
Belgian MP Axel Ronse recently raised concerns over her treatment in a letter to the Turkish ambassador, pointing to the impact on her physical and mental wellbeing.
İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, was arrested on March 23 on corruption charges that many consider politically motivated. His detention on March 19 sparked widespread protests, the largest in Turkey since 2013, and heightened political tensions.
Nearly 2,000 people, including university students, were detained during the demonstrations. Around 300 of them were formally arrested.
