Makbule Özer, an 83-year-old Kurdish woman who had been incarcerated despite severe health issues, was released on Saturday after serving her sentence, her family announced.
Jailed for a second time in April 2024, Özer had been serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence for aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Despite her advanced age and deteriorating health, the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) had determined she was fit to remain in prison, sparking criticism from rights groups.
Her son, Übeydullah Özer, revealed on social media that his mother was “hurriedly released” early in the morning without prior notice to the family. He expressed frustration that she was left waiting at the prison gate for an hour before the family was informed.
Özer, who suffers from multiple ailments, including diabetes and high blood pressure, was initially arrested in May 2022 along with her husband, Hadi Özer, and was first released in September 2022 due to her health. However, she was re-incarcerated in April 2024 after a new ATK report found her fit for imprisonment.
The ATK frequently comes under criticism over its questionable reports that find ailing inmates fit to remain in prison. Rights advocates slam the agency over its lack of independence from political influence and its role in compounding the persecution of political prisoners.
Every year, rights groups report the death of dozens of sick prisoners, either while behind bars or shortly after their belated release, which often comes at the end-stage of their illnesses.