Derya Ren 

 

ANTEP - Duri Kaygusuz, mother of sick prisoner Şaban Kaygusuz, stated that her son could not even meet his personal needs in prison conditions and called for his release as soon as possible. ‘’My son is not in a position to handle this punishment,’’ Duri said.

 

While the pressure on prisoners in Turkey and the regional prisons is increasing day by day, the situation of sick prisoners remains serious. According to the data in the ‘’2020 Prisons Report’’ of the Human Rights Association (IHD), there are 1604 sick prisoners, 604 of whom are seriously sick, in prisons in Turkey.

The hunger strike launched by the prisoners on November 27, 2020, against rights violations and the aggravated isolation policy on Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, has entered its 258th day.

 

Duri Kaygusuz, mother of severely sick prisoner Şaban Kaygusuz, who lost his right arm and leg in the conflict, and who was in Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison, called for the sick prisoners to be released as soon as possible.

 

‘He cannot meet his needs’

 

Duri, who was also arrested on charges of ‘’membership in a terrorist organization’’ in November 2019 and was released on May 11, 2021, stated that her son was arrested with injuries after a clash that broke out in 2018. Stating that her son Şaban could not meet his personal needs in prison on his own, Duri stated that his condition was not good when she went to see him son on July 28. Duri said: ‘’My son cannot make a living. He cannot eat or wash his clothes. He does not have both a right arm and a right foot. He cannot meet his needs for this. Maybe if he had the other arm or the other leg, then he would be able to meet his needs even a little bit. When I went to his meeting, I asked him how his condition was. He said, ‘Mother, I cannot meet my needs alone’. He stays in difficult conditions.’’

 

‘My son is not in a position to handle this punishment’

 

Emphasizing that the prison conditions are very bad, Duri said: ‘’If there is a right or law, I am calling on human rights associations and the European Court of Human Rights. The punishment they gave him saddened me as a mother. My son is not in a position to handle this punishment. I call on all people working in the field of rights and law to focus on this issue.’’

 

Call for release of political prisoners

 

Underlining that all political prisoners, especially sick prisoners, should be released, Duri continued: ‘’I do not want his life to be bad, even for one day. That is why I want him to find light and live freely. Because Şaban is young. I was also in the prison and I know what the conditions are. That is why this child should not be in the prison. Please let our voices be heard.’’