{"id":22261,"date":"2026-02-23T19:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T19:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/22261\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T19:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T19:48:12","slug":"turkey-denies-sentence-suspension-for-89-year-old-inmate-despite-health-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/22261\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey denies sentence suspension for 89-year-old inmate despite health concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Turkish authorities have denied a request to suspend the prison sentence of an ailing 89-year-old inmate convicted of alleged links to the faith-based G\u00fclen movement despite his advanced age and multiple health problems, the TR724 news website reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Authorities instead proposed transferring Erol \u015eeng\u00f6k to specialized facilities in \u0130stanbul or \u0130zmir that house inmates unable to care for themselves due to health conditions. \u015eeng\u00f6k declined the option because his elderly wife would be unable to travel such long distances to visit him.<\/p>\n

\u015eeng\u00f6k, a jeweler from central K\u0131r\u015fehir province, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on charges of membership in the G\u00fclen movement, with the conviction based on his charitable activities. He was taken into custody on June 11, 2025, after his sentence was upheld on appeal and sent to Sincan T-Type Prison in Ankara.<\/p>\n

\u00d6mer Faruk Gergerlio\u011flu, a lawmaker from the Peoples\u2019 Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and a human rights defender, described \u015eeng\u00f6k\u2019s situation as inhumane after visiting him in prison.<\/p>\n

Gergerlio\u011flu said Sincan Prison systematically obstructs inmates\u2019 chances of sentence suspension and parole by issuing disciplinary penalties on minor pretexts. \u201cThey are looking for ways to pressure people,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen the rule of law is restored in this country, no official will be able to justify this. They are committing crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u0130nsanlara tahliye vermemek i\u00e7in k\u0131rk takla atan bir cezaevi. \u015eu arkamda g\u00f6rd\u00fc\u011f\u00fcn\u00fcz cezaevi. Sincan T Tipi Cezaevi. Herkes bunu \u00e7ok iyi bilsin. Ben bu i\u015fin pe\u015findeyim. Bu i\u015fi gerekirse Avrupa’ya da g\u00f6t\u00fcr\u00fcyoruz. T\u00fcm d\u00fcnyaya da duyuruyoruz. Buradaki g\u00f6revliler de su\u00e7 i\u015fliyor. Ba\u015fka\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/8R9XTiXlOo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00d6mer Faruk Gergerlio\u011flu (@gergerliogluof) February 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan has been targeting followers of the G\u00fclen movement, inspired by the late Muslim cleric Fethullah G\u00fclen, since corruption investigations in December 2013 implicated him as well as some members of his family and inner circle.<\/p>\n

Dismissing the investigations as a G\u00fclenist coup and a conspiracy against his government, Erdo\u011fan began to target the movement\u2019s members. He designated the movement as a terrorist organization in May 2016 and intensified the crackdown on it following an abortive putsch in July of the same year that he accused G\u00fclen of masterminding. The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.<\/p>\n

Gergerlio\u011flu said he had raised the case with Nacho S\u00e1nchez Amor, the European Parliament\u2019s rapporteur on Turkey, and pledged to continue drawing international attention to the matter.<\/p>\n

Under Turkey\u2019s Law on the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures, courts may suspend the sentence of a prisoner who, due to a serious illness or disability, cannot sustain life in prison conditions and who is not considered a serious or concrete danger to society. Rights groups say the provision is very rarely applied in practice.<\/p>\n