MÊRDÎN — The release of political prisoner Hakki Ay, held at Elazığ Type-1 High Security Closed Prison, was postponed for six months after he told the Prison Administration and Observation Board, “A person can’t regret something they didn’t do.”

 

Hakki Ay was arrested in Mêrdîn (Mardin) on December 30, 2015 and sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in prison for “terrorist organization membership”, was due for release in August 2025. 

 

However, the Elazığ Prison Administration and Observation Board delayed his release, claiming he was “not showing remorse.” His appeal to the Elazığ 2nd Execution Judgeship was rejected. 

 

In its written decision, the court stated that when asked if he regretted his action, Ay responded: “A person can’t regret what they didn’t do. I don’t think I deserved this sentence.”

 

The ruling further alleged that Ay had “failed to comply with prison rules”, “participated in hunger strikes”, and “maintained ties with the organization”, concluding that he was “not ready to reintegrate into society.”

 

‘OBSERVATION BOARDS ARE NOT OBJECTIVE’

 

Ay’s lawyer, Erdal Kuzu said: “Administration and Observation Boards continue to act as if they were courts. Unfortunately, execution judgeships simply copy and paste their reasoning when rejecting appeals. My client has consistently said he is being punished for his political views, not for any crime. By acting in line with the official ideology, the board has effectively punished him a second time.”

 

‘THESE ATTITUDES CONTRADICT THE ONGOING PROCESS’

 

Kuzu described Ay’s statement as completely natural and emphasized that the ruling contradicts the current political climate: “Turkey has been going through a democratization process for over a year. Within this framework, following Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s call, the PKK announced its dissolution. Only recently, both Devlet Bahçeli and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements supporting this process. Yet the stance of these prison boards runs counter to the spirit of that process — it is provocative and obstructive. We expect Observation Boards and execution judges to act in line with the democratic atmosphere and the spirit of reconciliation.”

 

MA / Ahmet Kanbal