ISTANBUL - The Solidarity with Prisoners Initiative protested the postponement of the release of 10 prisoners in Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison for 1 year. 

 

The Solidarity with Prisoners Initiative (TDI) organized a statement protesting the postponement of the release of 10 prisoners in Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison by the Prison Administration and Observation Board for 1 year.

 

Speaking on behalf of the initiative Dilek Sönmez Demir said that release of political prisoners were prevented by the Administrative Observation Board on arbitrary pretexts. Stating that the unlawful practices are aimed at breaking the will of the prisoners, “In the last few years, one of the biggest problems of prisons and revolutionary patriotic prisoners has been execution burnings and postponement of releases. Prisoners whose execution period has been completed in prisons continue to be kept in prisons on various grounds,” she said.  

 

'SIMILAR THINGS HAPPENED LAST YEAR'

 

Dilek Sönmez Demir stated that release postponements have become systematic in Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison and that the release of 10 women prisoners was postponed for 1 year. Dilek Sönmez Demir stated that the releases of Dilek Öz, Dilan Kutlu, Eylem Özer, Elif Yaş, Mekine Sönük, Dilan Turan, Türkan Karadaşlı, Niel Genç, Süreyya Bulut, Zelal Kılıç were postponed. Dilek Sönmez Demir stated that the release postponements are made on arbitrary grounds and underlined that the release of many women in the same prison was postponed last year for reasons such as “buying radios from the canteen”, “buying books”, “not participating in social activities”, “not staying in neutral wards”. 

 

'END THIS CRIME IMMEDIATELY'

 

Speaking at the statement, Peace Mother Sabiha Bozan stated that execution burnings are a crime and said: “We never accept this. There is a great isolation in prisons today. From here we call out to the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Interior and the President. They should end this crime as soon as possible. Enough is enough.”