Turkish authorities have released an 86-year-old Kurdish man to house arrest in southeastern Hakkari province due to serious health problems, the Mezopotamya News Agency reported.
Süleyman Sabri Mavi was imprisoned in August 2024 after the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld his eight-year, nine-month sentence. He had been convicted of leading the funeral prayer of an alleged member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and delivering a mosque sermon in Kurdish. Mavi was a respected religious scholar and community leader in his hometown.
Mavi’s case was part of the broader Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Yüksekova trial, in which 24 people received prison sentences. The case dates back to 2012, when dozens of individuals were arrested in Yüksekova for alleged involvement in the outlawed KCK.
Mavi is almost totally disabled and suffers from multiple chronic illnesses, including acute duodenal ulcer, hepatitis C, diabetes, heart disease and age-related memory loss. When police arrived at his home to arrest him last year, Mavi was bedridden and suffered a heart attack during the arrest.
According to his lawyer, Mavi did not receive proper treatment after the heart attack and was transferred to prison after spending only one night in the hospital. The Human Rights Association (IHD) repeatedly appealed for Mavi’s release, arguing he was medically unfit for imprisonment. Photographs from his time in prison show him struggling to remain upright.
Turkish authorities have frequently faced criticism for systematically disregarding prisoners’ health needs. Rights groups report dozens of sick prisoner deaths annually, either while incarcerated or shortly after release, often when their illnesses have reached end-stage. According to Ministry of Justice data shared in response to a parliamentary inquiry, Turkey recorded over 700 prison deaths in 2024.
