DİYARBAKIR - Condemning the three-month delay of his son's release due to the decision of not being in good behaviour, Ramazan Yıldırım said: "The Turkish state imposes that Kurds should give up their identity and language, or the they will not release the prisoners."

 

Pressure, violence and violations of rights against political prisoners in prisons continue while they are held in prisons despite they served their sentence. Mehmet Yıldırım, who was detained on political grounds in 2009 and sentenced to 16 years and 6 months in prison, is being held in Bafra Type T Prison. Although Yıldırım had served his sentence of 12 years, 4 months and 15 days, his release was postponed for three months in March with the decision of the Administrative Observation Board (İGK) due to not being in good behavior. The board will decide whether Yıldırım will be released or not with the evaluation to be made in June.

 

'THE CONTINUED PERSECUTION'

 

Underlining that the persecution of the Kurdish people has continued for years, and that this time the persecution continues with holding the prisoners despite serving their time in prison, Mehmet Yıldırım's father, Ramazan Yıldırım said: “In 1993, the state forced us to be rangers. Since we did not accept, we were constantly subjected to military pressure. They were threatening us and they said that either Kurdish people will become rangers or leave the their village. In 1994, a conflict broke out in our village between the PKK and the soldiers. When many soldiers lost their lives in the conflict, the soldiers came our village. Turkish state detained 7 citizens from the village and then murdered them. Our village was burned to the ground by the soldiers and we were forced to migrate and settled in Amed.”

 

'HIS SENTENCE IS OVER BUT HE ISN'T RELEASED'

 

Giving information about his son Mehmet Yıldırım, Ramazan Yıldırım said: "We continue to be exposed to the state oppression in Diyarbakır. My son Mehmet Yıldırım was 2 years old when we had to leave our village, my son was detained at the age of 17 on the grounds of 'membership in a terrorist organisation'. The court took 20 months and my son was sentenced to 16 years and 6 months in prison when he turned 18. Now Mehmet is 29 years old and although he has served his time, he is not released. There has been a persecution that has been going on for years."

 

'THE PRISONERS ARE NOT RELEASED BECAUSE THEY ARE KURDISH'

 

Stating that the prison is not releasing his son on grounds like he participated in hunger strikes or showed no remorse, father Yıldırım said: "This decision alone shows there is no law in Turkey. In other words, the state is imposing that Kurds should give up their identity and language, or the Turkish state will not release them. Kurds are no longer the old Kurds. We are no longer a people to be deceived. There is a people who have been fighting for their language, culture and lands for years. You can no longer take over our will with these practices."

 

MA / Mehmet Gules