ANKARA - The release of prisoner Cengiz Akkaya, whose release was previously postponed in Konya Ereğli Type T Prison on the grounds that "he did not leave the a terrorist organization", was postponed once again for the same reason.

 

Cengiz Akkaya, who was arrested on charges of "being a member of a terrorist organization" and "insulting Erdoğan" in 2015, when he was a student at Süleyman Demirel University, was sentenced to 8 years, 1 month and 15 days for "being a member of a terrorist organization" and 1 year, 9 months and 25 days for "insulting Erdoğan". He was sentenced to one day in prison. Akkaya, who stayed in Isparta Type E Prison for about 5 years, was later sent to Konya Ereğli Type T Prison.

 

'AKKAYA DID NOT LEAVE THE ORGANIZATION'

 

Akkaya was prevented from being released by the Konya Ereğli Prison Administrative Board, even though he had completed 3/4 of the sentence given for "being a member of a terrorist organization" last year, and although he was not detained in accordance with the law for the crime of "insulting Erdoğan" and the sentence was over. The reason for preventing Akkaya's release was that "Akkaya has not left the organization".

 

In the fax he sent to our agency, Akkaya stated that the previously postponed execution period ended on November 3, 2023, but the prison administrative board postponed his release once again. Akkaya made the following statements in the fax he sent: “About a year ago, the execution period of my political sentence was completed. For more than a year, I have not been released due to the sentence of 'Insulting the President', which according to the law has not served even a day. The execution period of this sentence has been completed as of November 3, 2023. While I should have been released; The Prison Board of Directors postponed my release for six months with arbitrary evaluations such as 'he did not leave the organization', 'he did not join the judicial ward', 'he did not regret it'. "Even though such arbitrary practices may seem like small details in an environment of so much social and political decay, we should not get used to it, accept it or remain silent."