DİYARBAKIR - Severely ill prisoner Abdulhalim Kırtay, who died after being released, replied to the imposition of remorse, "I will die in my bed, but I will not regret it". The last word of Kırtay was a call to the public to "take care of the ill prisoners".

 

Ill prisoners who are not released despite serious health problems are left to die in prisons where human rights violations are increasing day by day. According to the data of the Human Rights Association (İHD), the situation of 1,517 ill prisoners, 651 of whom are seriously ill, is getting worse day by day, and even the prisoners who were asked to release the families who were on the sit-in with the demand for the release of ill prisoners were not released. Only in the last two years, 93 prisoners have lost their lives in prison.

 

Abdulhalim Kırtay, 75, who is on the seriously ill prisoner list of the İHD, was not released despite all calls. Kırtay, whose health condition worsened in prison, was released on March 22, less than 2 months before the end of his sentence. Kırtay died 51 days after his release (May 12), in Diyarbakır Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital, where he was treated.

 

KIRTAY HAS BEEN THE TARGETS OF THE STATE AND HIZBOLLAH

 

Kırtay, who lives in the Farqîn (Silvan) district of Amed(Diyarbakır), became the target of both the state and Hezbollah in the 1990s. The family house was besieged by the soldiers for 3 months with the arrest warrant issued for Kırtay and his son, who did not give up their struggle. Zinarin, the youngest member of the house, died of starvation as the Kırtay family was prevented from even getting food supplies.

 

FIRST GIRL THEN KIRTAY ARRESTED

 

In 1992, Kırtay's daughter, Herdem Merwanî, was detained at the age of 13 based on witness testimony and after a 3-month detention period, she was arrested and spent 13 years in prison. A year later, on May 14, 1993, Abdulhalim Kırtay was taken into custody. His family, who asked where Kırtay was, was not informed for a long time. Kırtay, who was detained for approximately 50 days, was accepted to be in custody as a result of persistent searches by his family and lawyers. Prosecuted by the State Security Court (DGM), Kırtay was sentenced to 36 years in prison for "destroying the unity and integrity of the state". In this process, 10 people from the Kırtay family and relatives were murdered on different dates by the state and Hezbollah. 

 

30 YEARS ARRESTED

 

Kırtay was exiled to many prisons, including Rize, Sêrt(Siirt), Wan(Van), Amed(Diyarbakır), Êlîh(Batman), Kırklareli, Yozgat, Dîlok(Gaziantep), İzmir and Balıkesir, during his detention. Having suffered from many diseases in 30 years in prison, Kırtay struggles with advanced prostate, diabetes, high blood pressure, hernia, heart and hemorrhoid diseases.

 

DISEASES STARTED IN 2017

 

Kırtay's serious illnesses started when he was in Kırklareli Prison in 2017. Kırtay, who was transferred to Burhaniye Type T Closed Prison, was asked where he was from by looking at his trousers at the hospital where he was taken. The doctor made an injection and sent it to Kırtay, who said he was from Amed. The next day, Kırtay's bruised testicles burst. Despite this, Kırtay, who was not treated, got worse and was transferred to Şakran No. 2 Type T Closed Prison for treatment.

 

KIRTAY: YOU CAN GET MY DEATH NEWS

 

However, Kırtay, whose right to health is denied here, said in a weekly phone call with his family on March 9, 2022: "I have been in a cell for two days. I am very ill. They put a lot of pressure on me. You may receive my death notice this week. Be prepared."

 

KIRTAY WAS NOT RELEASED DUE TO ATK REPORT

 

Kırtay was referred to the hospital many times after 2018 due to his illnesses. Despite the fact that all hospitals reported "Cannot be held in prison", Kırtay was not released with the decision of the ATK. The health condition of Kırtay, who was not released, eventually came to a point where he could not sustain his life alone. Kırtay was released from Balıkesir Burhaniye Type T Prison on March 22, with less than 2 months to complete his 30-year sentence. Kırtay died 51 days later in Diyarbakır Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital, where he was treated.

 

HARDEM LEARNED ABOUT HER FATHER'S FATE FROM THE NEWSPAPER

 

Kırtay's daughter, Herdem Merwanî, talked about her father Abdulhalim Kırtay. Merwanî said: "10 members of his family were murdered in the darkest periods of the 90s. What happened was not reported to the press and the bodies were left on the streets for days. In such a process, my father was detained and subjected to severe torture. I was also in Elaziğ Prison when my father was taken into custody. I was trying to learn about my father's fate from the newspapers."

 

TREATMENT TURNED INTO TORTURE

 

Emphasizing that her father did not have any illness when she was arrested, Merwanî said: “My father was a person who loved life and was devoted to life. His illness started in 2018 in Kırklareli Prison. He was transferred to İzmir Aliağa for treatment. However, the treatment of sick prisoners was suspended due to the onset of the pandemic period. Since he was not treated, his health condition gradually worsened. Since he had multiple diseases, he was examined in a ring vehicle and handcuffed every time he went to ATK. This turned into a kind of torture for my father. Hospitals were reporting 'Kırtay can't be held in prison'; however, the ATK was saying, "Kırtay can not be held in prison."

 

'MY FATHER HAS BEEN RELEASED SO THAT HE DOESN'T DIE IN PRISON'

 

Merwanî said the following about his father's release two months before his release: “We learned from the relatives of his friends in prison that he would be released. My father was admitted to the hospital as soon as he got out. He arrived in Amed a few days later after staying with our relatives. When he arrived, he could neither stand nor speak. He was left so that he would not die in prison, openly and clearly, but to go and die at home. A few days after his release, he regained consciousness and told us what had happened. When my father's condition worsens, the prosecutor and the principal come to the ward.

 

IMPLEMENT OF REGRET AFTER 30 YEARS

 

The Turkish state is imposing remorse on her father. My father refuses it. He told the prosecutor: 'I've been in prison for 30 years, I haven't done anything to regret. I have 2 months left for my release, and after this time, I will not regret it for 2 months. I do not accept the treatment, I will die in my bed, but I will not regret it. The imposition of remorse on him was very painful. If I call this torture and cruelty, it would be an understatement. A person's life shouldn't be this cheap. 30 years is a lifetime. In the end, it is not conscientious to use evacuation as a tool.”

 

DOCTOR CONDEMNED THE SITUATION OF KIRTAY

 

Merwanî said: "My father was mostly in the hospital from the day he was released until the day he passed away. After his release, he got worse and we took him to the hospital. Since the doctor who treated my father did not know that he was in prison, he was very angry that my father was in this situation. ‘Why did you not take care of your father until now? Are you taking care of him now?” he condemned us. When the doctor learned that he was in prison, he said 'Your father should have had heart surgery 10 years ago. If he had had the surgery, it wouldn't have been this bad." While one of my father's diseases was being treated, another disease was emerging. His entire body was inflamed. If my father wasn't ill, why was he given so much medicine? These drugs are a clear proof of how ill my father was. My father's murderer is ATK itself."

 

KIRTAY HAD SMILED UNTIL HE DIED

 

Noting that he always smiled despite the pain his father went through due to health problems, Merwanî said: “He talked to us. He told his memories. He song Strans. It was like a treasure for us. He said that he will not die at the hands of the state and that's what happened."

 

'POLITICAL PARTIES DID NOT KEEP THEIR PROMISES'

 

Reminding the actions of the sit-in, which was carried out by the relatives of the prisoners for approximately one and a half years between 2021 and 2023 in many cities, especially in Amed(Diyarbakır) and Wan(Van, for the release of the ill and prisoners whose execution was burned, Merwanî said: “Many political parties and civil society groups, especially the main opposition party CHP. We knocked on the organization's door. Promises made to us were not kept. The required sensitivity was not revealed. If there was ownership, things would be different. The support of the Kurdish political movement regarding the ill prisoners was insufficient."

 

FINAL WORDS: CARE FOR THE ILL PRISONERS

 

Merwanî conveyed the last words of his father before he passed away as follows: “I will not be the first nor will I be the last as an ill prisoner. There are thousands of prisoners today. There has not been enough ownership of these prisoners. If you want to do politics and realize that the Kurds are alive, you need to protect more ill prisoners.”

 

'WE CAN'T SAVE MY FATHER BUT…'

 

Merwanî, who lived separately from his father for 30 years, continued: “I don't want others to suffer this longing. I am ashamed of myself because prisoners such as Mehmet Emin Özkan and Sıddık Güler are in prison both despite their age and their illnesses. Can't politicians or NGOs do anything for them? We couldn't save my father, but we can save other ill prisoners. If we save it, only my father's soul will be happy. A little bit of our pain will go away.”

 

'WE WILL LIVE THE HERITAGE OF THE STRUGGLE'

 

Finally, adding that one of her father's dreams was to live in a house with a garden, Merwanî said: “We will build a house with a garden in order to keep his memories alive. He loved nature, trees, we will plant all kinds of fruit trees. We will keep the legacy of the struggle he left us alive. "Even if we are only one person, we will struggle."

 

MA / Mehmet Güleş