Awaiting Decision will Makbule Özer go back to prison

[Anthea]

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Turkey arrests 80 year olds

Turkish authorities in Van province arrested a Kurdish couple, both aged around 80, for allegedly helping Kurdish rebels. A request for the home arrest of the woman, due to her disability was rejected, as reported by a local Kurdish media outlet

Makbule Ozer, 80, and her 79-year-old husband, Hadi Ozer, were detained in the summer of 2018 in Van province’s Edremit district for allegedly “aiding a terrorist organization,” in reference to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The couple were sentenced to two years and one month. They were arrested by police on Tuesday, Kurdish Mezopotamya news agency reported.

"May Allah not accept this injustice done to my dear father and mother," their son, Ubeydullah Ozer, said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Dilan Kunt Ayan, the lawyer of the couple, told the agency that she had submitted an application to the Van court to change the elderly woman’s sentence to house arrest, but it was rejected.

She added that Makbule suffers from a disability.

“My client, who is an 80-year-old woman with a 52 percent disability, cannot even meet her personal needs alone, and her daily needs are met by her children. Implementing the prison sentence will not serve any purpose expected from the execution of sentences according to the law. This would put my client in a position [in which she would be] unable to meet even her daily personal needs,” she said.

The court rejected the demand because “the legal conditions were not met.”

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/11052022

[Anthea]

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80 year old lady in jail

Kurdish family fights to free 80-year-old mother from Turkish jail

Makbule Ozer marks her 80th birthday on Friday between the four walls of a Turkish prison cell in Van province. She will have to spend a further 25 months in jail if her family fails to prove to a court in the province that she cannot endure the difficult prison conditions due to her age and disability.

Her sons and lawyer are attempting any method they can to secure her freedom, knocking on every door to free the elderly woman who is incarcerated alongside her husband.

On July 20, 2018, Makbule was treating people for their broken, twisted bones and umbilical hernias at her home in Van’s Edremit district as usual. At around 10pm, a stranger knocked on their door and asked if she could treat her for an umbilical hernia. She welcomed her in and, minutes later, police raided the house on the grounds that the stranger was a member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“All members of our family were kept outside the house while the woman [suspected PKK member] was tortured for hours. Then my parents and three of my brothers who lived in the house were detained. After four days, they were released on the condition of remaining under surveillance,” Serhat Ozer, one of Makbule’s 13 children, told Rudaw English via WhatsApp on Monday.

“The woman was carrying a fake ID card. She confessed this during her testimony [to the police] because she was hiding from her family,” the 37-year-old man explained.

Police initially accused the young woman of being a member of the PKK, but this later changed to the crime of faking an ID. However, a court in Van province sentenced Makbule and her 69-year-old second husband, Hadi, to two years and one month in 2018 for “aiding” the PKK; a decision approved by a top court in April. The couple were arrested on May 9 this year.

“We cannot inspect the ID cards of everyone who visits us. The woman was detained for holding a fake ID card, not for being a member of the organisation. Therefore, prosecuting my parents for alleged links to the organisation is illegal,” Serhat stressed.

Legal fight

When the couple’s sentence was upheld by the top court, the family took them to a hospital to undergo a disability test with the hope of changing their sentence to house arrest. Hadi’s disability was scored at 33 percent, while Makbule’s disability was assessed to be 52 percent. The court rejected the results on the grounds that “the legal conditions were not met,” the couple’s lawyer, Dilan Kunt Ayan, told Rudaw English via Whatsapp on Wednesday.

According to a medical report issued by a specialised hospital in Van on April 7 as seen by Rudaw English, Makbule’s 52 percent disability was mostly related to her mobility and urological issues.

Serhat says that the court refused point-blank to take a medical report for his father, but asked the family to provide a forensic report for Makbule. She recently underwent the test, but its conclusions are yet to be issued. If the result shows that Makbule is not able to endure prison conditions and needs the help of her family, she could be granted house arrest as requested by the family.

Her lawyer told Rudaw English that they will use all legal methods to free Makbule from jail, adding that they will appeal the sentence given to the couple and will also take the matter to the country’s Constitutional Court.

Ayan said the old woman’s disability is “strong proof” that she needs to be out of jail.

“We believe that [her release] is legally possible because Makbule is in a [health] condition that she cannot attend the trial without a wheelchair,” noted the lawyer.

Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, an outspoken lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), said in a tweet on Thursday that Makbule goes through health checks twice a day, and that she has difficulty walking and uses a wheelchair.

“Due to prison conditions, her blood sugar and blood pressure also increased,” he wrote.

A large number of social media users and politicians have expressed their support for the Ozer couple, demanding their immediate release.

Makbule Ozer (right) and her husband Hadi Ozer play with their grandchildren at their home in Van province in summer 2021. Photo: submitted

The US State Department's annual report in 2018 reported the "arbitrary arrest and detention of tens of thousands of persons" in Turkey.

Strongly condemning the conviction of Osman Kavala by a Turkish court late last month, the department called on Turkey to free the philanthropist and "all others arbitrarily incarcerated."

This is not the first time that Kurdish elders with disabilities and chronic diseases have been incarcerated in Turkey for alleged links to the PKK. Ali Bocnak died from an illness at the age of 76 in September 2020 after spending more than a decade in jail for alleged links to the PKK. In 2018, a court in Mus province rejected an appeal to release the 78-year-old Sise Bingol from jail despite suffering from diabetic, high blood pressure, lung and kidney problems.

Official figures obtained by the Human Rights Association (IHD), released on April 29, say that there were 314,502 inmates in Turkish prisons as of March 31.

“According to data collected by İHD’s Central Prisons Committee, there are 1,517 sick prisoners, including 651 in critical condition, in prisons in Turkey as of April 2022,” the report states, adding that at least 46 prisoners had lost their lives due to health conditions since early 2021.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /200520221

[Anthea]

Where are the protests to gain
this lovely lady's freedom !?!

Shockingly, I have NOT been able to find any such footage

Apart from this lovely lady's family, I have been unable to find any public outcry

Problem with Kurds is they are always holding small protests which nobody outside the Kurdish community ever hears about

We all know Turks have been killing Kurds for 99 years, sadly a situation that is unlikely to change anytime soon

Let us have an
INTERNATIONAL PROTEST

Let us FREE this dear lady an at the same time show the ENTIRE WORLD what barbaric savages Turks really are

[Anthea]

80-year-old couple still in prison

Naime Özer, the daughter of 80-year-old Makbule Özer and 79-year-old Hadi Özer, who were arrested in Van on 9 May, said that both of them are getting worse and call for their release

80-year-old Makbule Özer and her 79-year-old husband Hadi Özer were detained with their children in the police raid on their house on 24 July 2018 in Edremit, in the province of Van.

As a result of the investigation carried out against the Özer couple, a lawsuit was filed. The 2 years and 6 months’ prison sentence given to the Özer couple by the local court was upheld by the higher courts. The Özers were first taken into custody in Edremit, in the province of Van, and were then sent to prison on 9 May.

The old couple cannot meet their needs in prison

The couple’s daughter, Naime Özer, said that her parents were unable to meet their own needs in prison due to their advanced age and bad health condition. She said that her mother had congenital hip dislocation and had difficulty walking, and added that she is struggling with many diseases in prison.

Naime Özer said that her mother had been treated for osteoporosis, cholesterol and diabetes in the past, and added that “because of the chronic diseases she has, she needs to pay attention to her diet. After she went to prison, she developed blood pressure and heart disease. My mom and dad's hands started to tremble. My father has eye disease and asthma.”

Stating that her mother's arm was broken as a result of her fainting in prison, and her head was fractured as a result of the impact, Özer said: "My mother was treated at the Van Regional Training and Research Hospital for one night after she passed out in prison. She was put on serum twice a day in the infirmary. My mother and father, who are now having difficulties in meeting their own needs even at home, have been in detention for 70 days and have been having great difficulty to live in prison conditions. I demand the release of my parents.”

https://anfenglishmobile.com/human-righ ... ning-61232

[Anthea]

80-year-old Makbule Özer released from prison

Makbule Özer (80), who was arrested on 9 May after being sentenced to 2 years and one month in prison for "aiding a terrorist organization" in Edremit, in the province of Van, was released.

Özer was released after her sentence was postponed for one year

[Anthea]

Makbule Özer to return to prison

81-year-old Makbule Özer, sentenced to 2 years and one month in prison in Van, was released in September 2022, after the sentence was postponed for a year. Now she is to be sent back to jail

Now the 81-year-old Kurdish woman will be imprisoned again following the report from the Institute of Legal Medicine (ATK) stating that “she can stay in prison”.

According to information published by the Mezopotamya Agency, the letter sent to the court by the ATK on 11 November, stated that "according to the existing documents and the results of the examination of Makbule Özer, it is appropriate that she remains in a type R (rehabilitation) prison.”

Özer's daughter, Naime Özer, said: “My mother received a disability report of 61% in the hospital. We sent these reports to the prosecutor's office. Then we took my mother to the ATK that decided it was appropriate for her to remain in prison. Even when we took her to the courthouse, we took her in a wheelchair.

My mother is in a situation where she cannot stand. Last year she could get up and get a glass of water, but now she can't even do that. We carry our mother on our back. The whole world saw the situation my mother was in. We want this illegality to end now.”

[Anthea]

Decision on arrest to be made today (Monday)

The Turkish public prosecutor's office has withdrawn the summon to arrest 81-year-old Kurdish woman Makbule Özer. The final decision would be made today

Apparently it has not yet been decided whether 81-year-old Makbule Özer will have to serve the remainder of her sentence for allegedly supporting terrorism. As her daughter Naime Özer said, the general public prosecutor's office in Van has withdrawn the summons to go to prison.

"The public prosecutor's office told us not to take her to prison on Monday. The order should be reviewed again. We're told she will either be placed under house arrest or sent back to the coroner's office. The final decision would be made today.”

Makbule Özer was arrested last year along with her husband Hadi Özer for “supporting terrorism”. The couple was sentenced to over two years in prison.

In the case of Makbule Özer, the sentence was suspended for one year due to her poor health. She was released in September 2022 after four months in prison. Although her condition has not changed, the Institute of Forensic Medicine (ATK) certified her fitness for detention in November.

Makbule Özer is dependent on a wheelchair and suffers from various illnesses. Before her arrest, she was cared for by her children at her home in Van-Edremit (Wan-Ertemêtan), and her fellow prisoners looked after her in prison.

[Anthea]

Family appeals for house arrest

The family of 81 year old Makbule Özer have requested house arrest in lieu of prison following a decision by the Council of Forensic Medicine (CFM) that she is fit for incarceration. This request was made amid concerns over Özer’s health

Özer, who was scheduled to return to prison based on the CFM’s assessment, was on her way to Izmir to serve the remainder of her sentence. The journey, which began on 3 December from Van (Wan) airport, was halted after the family was informed of a potential review of her imprisonment decision.

Medeni Özer, son of Makbule Özer, detailed the events: “We were almost on the plane when we got a call from our lawyer, saying ‘don’t bring her for now’. Doubtful, we returned home. Then we learned that the prosecutor’s office is reconsidering the decision. They’ll decide soon whether to send her back to the CFM or convert her sentence to house arrest. We don’t trust the CFM to make a fair decision. Our hope is for house arrest.”

Makbule Özer and her husband Hadi Özer, from Van’s Edremit district, were arrested in a police operation on 24 July 2018, along with their children, on charges of “aiding a terrorist organisation”. Both received prison sentences of two years and six months. The couple was jailed in Van High Security Prison on 9 May 2022.

After a medical report indicated that Makbule Özer is 61 percent disabled, her family sought a reassessment from the CFM. On 5 September 2022, the CFM Third Specialisation Board concluded she was unfit for prison life, leading to a deferral of her sentence for a year. However, in a recent turn, the CFM Third Specialisation Board issued a new report on 1 November 2023, stating that she could be incarcerated, prompting the current request for house arrest.

https://medyanews.net/family-appeals-fo ... in-turkey/