Turkish prison authorities delayed Mazlum Ari’s parole after he protested a strip-search, Turkish Media reported on Wednesday.
Ari, who qualified for parole after serving eight years of a 10-year sentence, resisted a strip-search during his transfer to Tekirdağ Prison, prompting authorities to launch an investigation on September 2.
The prison’s administrative observation board imposed disciplinary measures and cited his protest as the reason for the delay, despite Ari having completed his required time for parole on September 10.
“Mazlum’s release was postponed simply because he resisted a strip-search, which is illegal,” his father, Mehmet Salih Ari, said. “They are using arbitrary decisions to block his freedom.”
Administrative observation boards, review bodies established in Turkish prisons in January 2021, have been delaying the parole of prisoners by three to six months, raising concerns over multiple rights violations.
Ari was arrested in 2016 after being convicted of membership in a terrorist organization following a house raid in Batman.
Between 2021 and 2023 the release of a total of 384 prisoners eligible for parole was postponed, according to data from the Human Rights Association (İHD).
