Despite the Peace and Democratic Society Process, violations in prisons continue. Violations such as forced strip searches, oral cavity searches during hospital transfers, pressure, exile to provinces far from families, beatings and postponements of release continue systematically despite all calls and complaints. One of the prisoners facing these violations is Mustafa Amutgan. Having completed his 30-year sentence on 7 July 2024, Mustafa Amutgan's release was postponed three times for six-month periods by the Erzincan High Security Prison Administration and Observation Board on the grounds that he was "not remorseful". 

 

Mustafa Amutgan, who was detained in Tarsus in 1994 and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Adana State Security Court, was transferred from Hilvan Prison to Erzincan High Security Prison shortly before completing his sentence. His release was postponed for the first time on 7 July 2024 for a period of six months by the Erzincan Prison Administration and Observation Board, on the grounds that they did not know him well enough and that he was not "well-behaved". 

 

Mustafa Amutgan completed his first postponement period on 7 January 2025. The committee, convened for the second time, asked him questions such as, "Will you meet with them when you are released?", "Is there a problem with your family, why don't they come to visit you?", and "Are you sorry?" referring to the people arrested with him. Amutgan stated that he was not sorry, and his release was postponed for a second time for six months. Amutgan's release, which was completed on 7 July 2025, was again postponed for six months on the grounds that he was "not remorseful".

 

 

'FAMILIES ARE BEING TORMENTED'

 

Ahmet Amutgan, reacting to the constant postponement of his brother's release, said that the reasons given for the postponement were absurd and that the postponement itself was unlawful. Ahmet Amutgan said that his two brothers were in prison and that they were unable to visit them due to financial difficulties. He said that he himself was in Tarsus Prison in 2022 and that his other brother, Nusret, had repeatedly submitted requests to be transferred to the same location, but these were postponed on the grounds that there was no space. He said that Turkish criminal law stipulates that imprisoned brothers have the right to be held in the same prison, yet prisoners are being kept away from their families. 

 

"We have been punished in the same way for 30 years. One foot is in prison, one foot is at home. If my brothers were in a prison in our province or close to the Çukurova region, we would visit them every month. Either we go to visit them, or we send them money,” he said. 

 

Amutgan said that his other brother, Nusret Amutgan is in Samsun Kavak Type S Prison and he is on the Human Rights Association's (İHD) list of ill prisoners, noting that he has stomach problems and needs hernia surgery. 

 

THREATS TO PRISONERS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION

 

Amutgan stated that despite the process, there has been no improvement in prisons and conditions have become even harsher. He said that the Erzincan Prison Director told the prisoners, "There is no process here, there is no Minister of Justice here, there is no President here, there is no Parliament here, we are everything here." Amutgan stated that the pressure had increased even more after the process. 

 

Amutgan relayed that during a telephone conversation with his brother, his brother had said that there was pressure that "harmed the spirit of the process rather than improving it." 

 

Stating that the prison issue must be resolved, Amutgan said that Abdullah Ocalan and other political prisoners must be released for the process to be credible. 

 

Expressing that families expect practical steps, Amutgan concluded: "Without practical steps, there is no faith. There is hope, but no faith. Our demand is this: this solution must happen immediately, the government must take action immediately, starting with the release of sick prisoners, Mr Öcalan and prisoners who have served their sentences, that is, prisons must be emptied. Keeping even one person imprisoned for thought crimes means the process is not moving forward."

 

MA / Mehmet Gules