The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT) reacted against the imprisonment of Murat Çalık, Mayor of Beylikdüzü, who has been suffering from health problems for months, and stated that Çalık should be released without waiting for the decision of the Forensic Medicine Institution and urgently taken under treatment.
The statement reminded the UN Mandela Rules and emphasized that every prisoner has the right to equal access to health care. According to the report of Izmir Katip Çelebi University, Çalık’s condition is life-threatening. However, the process is being delayed by waiting for Forensic Medicine approval.
HRFT stated that the detention worsens his health condition and that the current practice can be considered a violation of the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment. A call was made to the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary to immediately release Çalık and put him under treatment in a full-fledged hospital under the supervision of his relatives.
July 21, 2025
ANKA