Profile
VICTIM : Mehmet Parlak
INCIDENT : The release of a prisoner suffering from a critical and advanced kidney disease was blocked.
LOCATION : Ankara, Turkey
SITUATION : Sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison on alleged affiliation with the Gülen movement.
Case Summary
Mehmet Parlak, who is being held in Sincan Cezaevi, has long been struggling with severe health problems. Due to a rare kidney disease, he lost both of his kidneys years ago and later received a kidney transplant donated by his mother. His condition reportedly worsened under prison conditions, and the transplanted kidney also began to fail. According to Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, who has closely followed the case, Parlak now requires dialysis treatment and could be transferred to intensive care at any moment. Although he became eligible for supervised release in January 2026, he has continued to be held in prison for the past four months. The Prison Administration and Observation Board prevented his release by assigning him a “good conduct” score of 59.25, keeping it just below the required threshold of 60 points. Contradictions in the board’s decision raised concerns that the ruling had not been made fairly and appeared to rely on copy-paste reasoning. Parlak, who previously worked as a court clerk, was incorrectly identified in the decision as a “former member of the Court of Cassation.” The report also claimed that he was “not found sincere in separating himself from the organization,” while applications he had previously made for placement in a “neutral ward” at another prison were reportedly disregarded. Despite his life-threatening medical condition and advanced kidney disease, Parlak continues to be held in prison.
Source
Contact
Sincan Penal Institution Campus
Phone: +90 (312) 589 50 00
Mail: –
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
Mail: info@adalet.gov.tr