Mustafa Said Türk’s ordeal began when his 10-year prison sentence was upheld by the Court of Cassation, and his appeal for sentence postponement was rejected, resulting in his transfer from prison to the hospital.
The treatment of an incapacitated 86-year-old patient has taken center stage in recent weeks, thanks to the persistent efforts of Ömer Faruk Gergerliğlu, a Member of Parliament from the Green Left Party of Kocaeli. Calls for a “postponement of execution” gained momentum in the Parliament and across social media, demanding action from the Ministry of Justice. However, the ruling AKP and the Ministry of Justice have so far turned a deaf ear to these calls. The Forensic Medicine Institute, on August 2, 2023, called for an examination of bedridden patient Mustafa Said Türk in Istanbul.
SENT TO PRISON WITHOUT WAITING FOR THE FORENSIC MEDICINE REPORT
Mustafa Said Türk underwent examination at Manisa Merkezefendi State Hospital, where he was admitted. The committee of eight doctors at the hospital triggered a scandal by issuing a report suggesting that Türk could endure prison conditions. The report stated, “His sentence cannot be sustained under penal institution conditions. Postponing his sentence execution is unnecessary. There is a state of continuous illness, disability, or severe debilitation as specified in Article 104/2-B of the Turkish Constitution. He should be placed in a closed/open penal institution of Type R.” Despite not awaiting the Forensic Medicine Institute’s report, Türk was transferred to İzmir Menemen R Type Prison.
SENT NEARLY TO HIS DEATH IN PRISON
This incident has added yet another case of human rights violation, similar to those witnessed in Turkey over the past 8-9 years. Mustafa Said Türk, like Yusuf Bekmezci and Nusret Muğla, has essentially been sent to prison where his health is at risk. Outraged voices have risen against this cruelty. Social media has been flooded with criticisms directed at the Ministry of Justice, accompanied by calls for the release of 86-year-old bedridden patient Mustafa Said Türk.
HAVE THESE DOCTORS UPHOLD THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH?
MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu expressed his concerns in a post: “They have decided to transfer 86-year-old, severely disabled patient Mustafa Said Türk to prison! They likely want him to die in prison! Have these doctors upheld the Hippocratic Oath? On what ethical and scientific grounds did they make the decision to send him to R Type Prison? @saglikbakanligi Mr. @drfahrettinkoca, what would you say to these doctors if they were to send your father, in this condition, to prison? As a physician, it’s impossible for me not to protest!”
“SOMEONE ELSE SHOULD ATTEND TO HIS NEEDS,” THEY SAY
Lawyer Hatice Yıldız remarked, “Eight expert doctors have stated that 86-year-old bedridden patient Mustafa Said Türk ‘could remain in prison but not alone.’ In other words, they imply that he should not be placed in solitary confinement due to his bedridden condition, and other inmates should provide for all his personal needs. Truly scandalous.”
DO DOCTORS UNDERSTAND CONSCIENCE AND MEDICINE?
Gülderen Varlı, MP of the Green Left Party, also voiced her reaction to the events involving Türk. She shared, “Look at this photo now. Have you noticed? Despite knowing that Mustafa Said Türk, 98% disabled and 86 years old, is seriously ill, the doctor said ‘he could remain in prison,’ and the Ministry of Justice took him to prison. Do they have any understanding of JUSTICE, CONSCIENCE, and MEDICINE?”
LETTING THE ABUSER TEACHER GO, BUT…
Şule Aydın, host of Halk TV’s program “Selections from the Asylum,” expressed her anger with these words: “The judiciary that released a teacher who abused 10 children in a village school in Hatay has now taken 86-year-old Mustafa Said Türk, who is incapable of taking care of himself, to prison.”
WHILE THIEVES AND RAPISTS ARE RELEASED…
Former HDP MP Hüda Kaya drew attention to the injustice within the execution law in her tweet, expressing her reaction as follows: “Can’t you see how our beautiful country has plunged into darkness? Look at the video. Mustafa Said Türk, who is 98% disabled and 86 years old, was taken to prison in this condition, despite being seriously ill. While thieves and rapists continue to be released, is justice achieved by imprisoning individuals like him? @adalet_bakanlik”
POSTPONEMENT OF EXECUTION IS NOT ABOUT REVENGE!
Former Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Bülent Arınç, made the following statement on social media a few days ago: “I truly wonder how subjecting elderly individuals who can’t even care for themselves to prison serves any notion of justice or public welfare. Failing to postpone the execution of bedridden individuals well into their eighties, regardless of their crimes or convictions, deeply wounds the public conscience. This approach is profoundly flawed. It’s not about revenge or retribution, but about justice, conscience, and compassion.”
MUSTAFA SAID TÜRK IS EXTREMELY ILL AND STILL IN PRISON
Eren Keskin, Co-Chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD) and a lawyer, also voiced her outrage on Twitter. She used the following words in her post: “At 86 years old!!! Have you heard? Mustafa Said Türk, a 86-year-old prisoner, is extremely ill and still in prison!”
THE NAMES OF THOSE DOCTORS REVEALED
Journalist Fehim Işık disclosed the names of the doctors who issued the “could remain in prison” report for Mustafa Said Türk in his social media post and expressed his reaction with the following words: “The doctors whose names are listed did not find any impediment to keeping severely disabled 86-year-old prisoner Mustafa Said Türk in prison. I don’t know if the Turkish Medical Association will take any action regarding this matter or not. However, consciences should take action regarding this matter. They must take action without fail.”
This news article by Ersoy Celik was originally published in Bold Media and translated into into English by Politurco.
