Abdurrahman Gemicioğlu, a 67-year-old cancer patient, was arrested and sent to prison to serve an eight-year, nine-month sentence on conviction of links to the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the Mezopotamya News Agency (MA) reported.
Gemicioğlu, who suffers from colon cancer, heart failure and other chronic diseases, was sent to prison despite his deteriorating health after the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld his sentence.
The KCK is an umbrella organization that encompasses various Kurdish political and militant groups, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been waging a bloody campaign in Turkey’s Southeast since 1984 and is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
As a result, individuals associated with the KCK have often faced legal action, with charges such as “membership in an armed organization.” In some cases, activists, politicians and civilians accused of involvement with the KCK have been prosecuted under anti-terror laws.
“My father has been receiving treatment for two years for all the health issues he suffers from,” his daughter Elif Gemicioğlu said. “His health is deteriorating quickly, and he needs to be released immediately to continue his treatment.”
According to Elif, her father’s heart function has dropped to 20 percent, and he frequently experiences memory loss, making it impossible to take care of himself in prison.
Gemicioğlu is only one of many critically sick inmates in prison. According to the law, 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 decision to suspend sentences is not implemented for many political prisoners.
Turkish authorities have denied political prisoners, even those with critical illnesses, release from prison so they can at least seek proper treatment. Human rights activists and opposition politicians have frequently criticized authorities for not releasing critically ill prisoners.
