Seventy-year-old Mehmet Edip Taşar, held at Marmara (Silivri) No. 5 L-Type Closed Prison and listed among seriously ill prisoners by the Human Rights Association (İHD), has once again been the subject of a release request. Suffering from heart failure and frequently transferred to the hospital, Taşar underwent his 19th angioplasty on February 11. He has eight stents due to heart disease and an irregular heart rhythm. However, after three separate referrals, the Forensic Medicine Institute ruled that he is “fit to remain in prison.” His release requests were denied based on these reports, prompting his lawyers to file a new application with the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office seeking a postponement of his sentence.

 

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RULINGS CITED

 

The application stated that Taşar is unable to sustain his daily life independently and attends lawyer meetings in a wheelchair. It argued that this situation violates the prohibition of “torture and ill-treatment,” referencing Article 17 of the Constitution and Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

 

“Under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the state is obliged to ensure that a person is detained in conditions compatible with human dignity, that the manner and method of execution do not subject the individual to distress or hardship exceeding the unavoidable level inherent in detention, and—taking into account the practical demands of imprisonment—that the person’s health and well-being are adequately safeguarded, including through the provision of necessary medical care,” the application stated.

 

REQUEST FOR POSTPONEMENT OF SENTENCE

 

The filing requested that Taşar be referred to a medical institution to obtain a report and that the execution of his sentence be postponed in accordance with Article 16 of Law No. 5275 on the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures.

 

Emphasizing the severity of his client’s health condition, Taşar’s lawyer said: “Mehmet Edip Taşar recently underwent another angioplasty. He was hospitalized for about four days before being transferred back to prison. His current condition is extremely serious. He is unable to eat or take his medication on his own and relies on fellow prisoners for daily activities. During recent visits, his family reported that he had become so weak they could hardly recognize him, that his physical appearance had changed drastically, and that his overall health had significantly worsened. They observed during an open visit that he continually rested his head on the table and struggled even to breathe.”

 

MA / Ömer İbrahimoğlu