Human Rights in Turkey
Critically Ill Prisoners in Turkish Prisons – Mehmet Gürler

Profile

VICTIM : Mehmet Gürler
INCIDENT : Despite a second “unfit to remain in prison” report being issued for the prisoner with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), he is still being held in prison.
LOCATION : İstanbul, Turkey
SITUATION : Sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of “Attempting to Overthrow the Constitutional Order by Force.”

Case Summary

Mehmet Gürler, a former staff major dismissed by emergency decree (KHK), has been imprisoned for nine years. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2021, but his treatment began eight months after the diagnosis. Due to the delayed treatment, Gürler suffered serious neurological impairments. An earlier request for the postponement of the execution of his sentence was also rejected. In a report prepared by the Forensic Medicine Institute, it was determined that the prisoner has a “permanent illness and disability.” Most recently, the institute issued a second report stating that Mehmet Gürler is “unfit to remain in prison.” The report again concluded that Gürler suffers from a continuous illness and disability. Despite these findings, Gürler has not been released and continues to be held in prison. It has been stated that his health condition is progressively worsening and that he is unable to meet his basic needs on his own. Rights advocates emphasize that the failure to take the necessary steps despite the medical report poses a serious risk to his right to life, and they call for his immediate release and access to appropriate medical treatment under suitable conditions.

Source

Contact

Metris Type R Closed Penal Institution

Phone: 0 212 617 19 19

Mail: metris.rtcik@adalet.gov.tr 

General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses

Phone: (0312) 507 04 00 – (0312) 507 04 01

Mail: cte@adalet.gov.tr 

Ministry of Justice – Republic of Türkiye

Phone: +90 (0312) 417 77 70

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