82-year-old Makbule Özer, who was arrested in Artemêt (Edremit) district of Wan on May 9, 2022 on the allegations of “aiding an illegal organization” and released on September 7, was re-arrested on April 22, 2024 after the Forensic Medicine Institution's (ATK) report that she “can stay in prison”. After 254 days of imprisonment, Özer completed her sentence and was released on August 31. Özer, who has been welcoming visitors since the day of her release, spoke about her imprisonment. “Prison should not be the place for 70-80 year old people,” Özer said. 

 

'I FELL 2 TIMES AND HIT MY HEAD'

 

Özer said that he was taken to prison for the second time and said: “This time I was in prison for 4 months. It was very bad for me this time. I fell twice in prison, hit my head on the floor and still have a headache. I also fell off the bunk many times and suffered a lot. I was taken to the hospital from prison almost every day. I mean, there is nothing bearable about prison. An hour there is worth 100 days outside. There were especially many ill and elderly people. Even getting on those bunks was very difficult and they had a lot of trouble. In my first and second imprisonment, I experienced the same problems. They would knock on the door and come in for the morning roll call, which was very difficult for me and I was devastated.”

 

'PRISON IS NOT SUITABLE FOR THE ELDERLY AND ILL PRISONERS'

 

Explaining that she could not take care of herself because she is old and disabled, “The friends there were taking care of me. They took my bath, washed my clothes. There was Hanife Aslan who was old like me. She was also old like me and she is still serving a 4-month sentence. Hanife is also very sick, she has pain in her feet and back. It was very difficult for us to go to the toilet, to walk up and down the stairs of the ward. Prisoners would take me on their backs and carry me down the stairs. In other words, the conditions of the prison are not suitable for elderly and ill prisoners” Özer said.

 

'THEY DIDN'T EVEN LET ME FINISH MY TEA'

 

Speaking about being left at the prison gate early in the morning, Özer said: “They took me out during the morning roll call. I wanted to have a cup of tea before I left, but they took me out before I finished my tea. Then I was brought to the prison gate and made to wait there. Then they put me in a car and made me wait there. They moved the car that was coming to pick me up closer to the prison car and I moved from one car to another. My feet didn't even touch the ground. I asked for my medication, but they didn't even give me that time and asked me to leave. We set off, there were military vehicles on both sides of us. They did not allow people to greet me. Both my entry and exit from the prison was troublesome.”

 

'SITUATION OF ILL PRISONERS'

 

Özer said that the prison was full of sick prisoners and continued as follows: “When they took those ill prisoners to the hospital, people could not hold back their tears. There are those whose condition is so severe that it makes you feel very bad. In other words, they make prisoners live in a dungeon within a dungeon. I mean, the condition of ill prisoners is very bad. They were closing the courtyard doors very early. Again, the canteen is expensive and many things are not available. Prisoners who used to buy everything, the last time I was there, they could buy very little because of economic difficulties. Because everything is very expensive. The food was also very bad.” 

 

'THEY ARE AFRAID OF US'

 

Özer said that the reason for keeping the elderly and ill people in prison is “fear” and said: “I mean, 70-80 year old people should not be in prison. Why are they so afraid of us; they wouldn't do this if there was no fear. If they weren't afraid, they wouldn't have taken me to prison in a hurry and left me the same way.”