Turkish authorities on Wednesday imprisoned a 76-year-old man suffering from paralysis and dementia over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, amid a growing number of deaths in recent months among inmates jailed over ties to the movement.
Yusuf Çağlayan, who had been living at a state-run home for the elderly in Çınarcık due to serious health issues, was taken Monday to Kandıra Type T No. 2 Prison. Authorities have not disclosed whether he was recently convicted or if an appeals court upheld an earlier verdict, nor did they reveal the length of his sentence.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by the late Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan, his family members and inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and a conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan began to target the movement’s members. He designated the movement as a terrorist organization in May 2016 and intensified the crackdown on it following an abortive putsch in July of the same year that he accused Gülen of masterminding. The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
The case was brought to public attention by Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a human rights defender and an opposition lawmaker with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), who condemned the move on social media.
“How can you imprison someone like this? Who will take care of him? How can the Justice Ministry allow this?” Gergerlioğlu wrote on X.
He also shared a statement from Çağlayan’s family, saying the elderly man is incapable of taking care of himself on his own.
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 or concrete danger to society, may be suspended until they recover. However, the stipulated suspension of sentence is often not implemented.
Çağlayan’s imprisonment has also renewed attention to the rising number of deaths among ailing inmates convicted over alleged Gülen links, many of whom, like Çağlayan, were elderly or chronically ill and had repeatedly sought medical release without success.
İbrahim Güngör, a 72-year-old Alzheimer’s patient imprisoned over alleged Gülen links, died behind bars on September 7. His family had repeatedly appealed for his release on grounds of health, but their pleas were ignored. Güngör suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and prostate problems and had been hospitalized several times in the weeks before his death.
Just weeks later, on September 21, Cafer Ongun, a former teacher serving time on Gülen-related charges, died of a heart attack while in prison. His death came without warning and sparked outrage from civil society groups who said his health issues were known but ignored.
In late September Yusuf Özkan, another former educator imprisoned in Konya, also died of a heart attack. Özkan had been convicted of Gülen affiliation, and human rights advocates claim he was not given adequate medical oversight despite known cardiovascular concerns.
More recently İzzet Odabaşoğlu, a former police officer jailed for alleged Gülen ties, died of a heart attack on October 6 — just two days before he was scheduled to be released.
Turkish authorities have frequently been criticized for their systematic disregard of the health needs of prisoners. Every year, rights groups report the death of dozens of sick prisoners, either while behind bars or shortly after their release, which often comes at the end-stage of their illness. Turkey recorded 709 deaths in prison in the first 11 months of 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Justice shared in response to a parliamentary inquiry.
