İZMİR - Mehmet Sait Yıldırım, who was held in Imralı Prison for 9 days, is experiencing health problems in the solitary cell where he has been held for 5 years. His brother Hasan Yıldırım said that there is a special manner for his brother.

 

The health problems of 72-year-old Mehmet Sait Yıldırım, who is arrested in İzmir Kırıklar No. 1 Type F High Security Closed Prison, are getting worse day by day. Yıldırım was taken back to prison three days after an angiography at Atatürk Yeşilyurt State Hospital, where he was taken on December 18, 2023, and was put in a solitary cell.

 

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE INSTRUCTION

 

Yıldırım said that he met face to face with both the Prison Administration and the Prison Prosecutor's Office and also submitted a petition to his lawyer, Fatma Demirer, whom he met on January 5, stating that he could not stay in the cell alone. The hospital is expected to prepare a report upon Yıldırım's manner to the prison administration. It is stated that Yıldırım is being held in a solitary cell in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Justice.

 

2 HOSPITALS GAVE A REPORT

 

Yıldırım was taken to Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital due to health problems he experienced in Diyarbakır Type D Closed Prison, where he held in 2015. A report was given stating that it was "not appropriate" for him to stay alone due to his heart disease. In 2017, he reported to Izmir Ödemiş District State Hospital, where he was taken again due to health problems, saying, "Serving a solitary sentence is harmful to his health." While there was no improvement in Yıldırım's health, a report was given that "He can stay in a cell alone" at Izmir Yeşilyurt State Hospital, where he was taken due to health problems in 2018. Yıldırım has different health problems such as cervical disc herniation, hypertension, arteriosclerotic heart disease, COPD, lung and atherosclerosis.

 

 'IT IS UNLAWFUL TO HELD IN A CELL’

 

Yıldırım's lawyer, Fatma Demirer, stated that it is unlawful for her client to be held in a solitary cell and said: "The negotiations with the prison administration regarding this issue are inconclusive. My client has a chronic heart disease. There is no one to intervene in case he experiences any discomfort or falls. His conditional release is 25 February 2025. But staying in a single room during this remaining one-year period is against conscience in the first place.”

 

THE IMRALI REMINDER

 

Reminding that her client could only held in Imralı Type F High Security Prison for 9 days due to health problems, Demirer said: “We want my client to be released as soon as possible. We will apply regarding the postponement of release in the coming days. My client's old age and chronic illnesses prevent him from being held alone. The administration does not provide any documents. We don't know if it's intentional or not. Any discomfort may result in consequences that no one would want. My client's safety, right to life and health are the responsibility of the administration.”

 

HIS BROTHER: ITS AN ARBITRATORY PRACTICE

 

Yıldırım's brother Hasan Yıldırım also stated that it was unlawful for his brother to be held in solitary confinement for 5 years despite his health problems. Emphasizing that his brother is facing special manner because he was held in Imralı, Yıldırım said: "All of his books were confiscated. Even the book he wrote was not given to him. Lastly, he worked on a book . All the writings he wrote in two notebooks were confiscated. As both his brother and his guardian, I say: These practices are arbitrary, unlawful and illegal. I do not accept this.”

 

HE WAS HELD IN IMRALI FOR 9 DAYS

 

Yıldırım served as the "Secretariat" of 5 people, which was established upon the demand of PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan, for the peace talks held in Imralı due to the "Solution Process" on March 15, 2015. Yıldırım was transferred from Imralı Prison to Bolu Type F Closed Prison 9 days later due to his heart problems. Yıldırım, who has been held in a solitary cell in Kırıklar No. 1 Type F High Security Prison since 2018, has been in prison for 29 years and is expected to be released on February 25, 2025.