Turkey refuses to release political prisoners amid coronavirus outbreak

ANKARA – On Monday, Turkish Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül stated that 17 prisoners within 5 prisons had become infected with the novel coronavirus COVID-19. “Three of them died while receiving hospital treatments,” he added.

Since late March, Turkey had witnessed a continuous clime in COVID-19 cases and deaths with the situation threatening to get out of control. Turkey currently has over 61,000 known cases of the virus and nearly 1,300 known deaths.

As a measure to help prevent a catastrophe in Turkey’s overcrowded prisons, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey approved legislation that would allow for the release of tens of thousands of prisoners. The legislation passed by a 279 to 51 vote.

However, the new legislation does not allow the release of the prisoners convicted of terrorism-related charges. Many of Turkey’s political prisoners are being held under the country’s overly broad terrorism laws are will not be released.

The opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), many of whose members have been imprisoned on trumped up charges of “terrorism”, has publicly denounced the new legislation and has called for the immediate release of prisoners of conscience.

“Whilst any steps to reduce the chronic overcrowding in Turkey’s prisons are welcome, it is deeply disappointing that the tens of thousands of prisoners in pretrial detention – a measure that must only be used when there are no alternatives to custody – will not be considered for release,” said Amnesty International’s Turkey Campaigner Milena Buyum. “Those convicted in unfair trials under Turkey’s overly broad anti-terrorism laws are also now condemned to face the prospect of infection from this deadly disease.”

Turkey one of the highest per capita incarceration rates in Europe and the Middle East. According to Reporters Without Borders, Turkey is the largest jailer of journalists in world.

Amnesty International and a litany of other international organizations have called on Turkey to release journalists and human rights defenders, among others.