1,582 ill prisoners released in 7 years

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Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül has answered the Parliamentary question of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu regarding the situation of ill prisoners in Turkey.

Minister Gül has announced that 1,582 ill prisoners have been released due to their illnesses or disabilities since 2013.

In his Parliamentary question addressed to the Ministry of Justice on July 18, 2019, CHP MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu, who is also a human rights lawyer professionally, asked the Minister how many prisoners applied for release for reasons of illness, how many applications were approved, in which type of prisons and for which illnesses the applications were made.

Minister Gül has answered the question in following words:

"When the records of our Ministry are examined, it is understood that as of January 24, 2013, when the Law no. 6411 entered into force, the number of convicts and prisoners who applied for the suspension of their sentences and were released after being documented by a medical report is 1,582."

Gül has also said that the regulation is implemented to a limited extent on the grounds that the article of "not posing a danger to public safety" is interpreted quite broadly in practice and some convicts who are supposed to benefit from this opportunity cannot do so for intangible reasons.

Therefore, the expression in question is put into force in such a way that the sentences of convicts "who do not pose a severe and concrete danger to society" are suspended, Minister has noted.

İHD: There are 1,564 ill prisoners

According to a report released by the Human Rights Association (İHD) on April 1, there are 1,564 ill prisoners, 591 in serious condition, in Turkey's prisons as far as the association could document. (HA/SD)