AMED – Ill prisoner Abdullah Zoraslan was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment by filing a new lawsuit against him 3 days before his release.
Abdullah Zoraslan, who was caught in the crossfire on March 16, 2016, in Rezan (Bağlar) district of Amed, on 861st Street, 5 Nisan Mahallesi, and was hit by 13 bullets, 6 of the 13 bullets that hit were not removed from his body. He had 85 percent of his intestines cut off as a result of the injury. After 5 months of treatment, on the day he was to be discharged in August 2016, he was arrested by the police and sentenced to 8 years and 9 months in prison on the allegation of "membership of a terrorist organization". Three days before he completed his sentence and was released, a new investigation was opened against him and an arrest warrant was issued.
The indictment, prepared against him based on some evidence in his previous file as well as open and secret witness statements, demanding aggravated life imprisonment, was accepted at Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court. Although all of the open witnesses heard before the court during the trial said that they do not know him, no response was received despite his lawyer's objection that the trial could not be held because the evidence in the case file was in the previous file.
At the verdict hearing held on December 14, 2023, the prosecutor who prepared an indictment against him said, "I have been waiting for this day for 3 years to have you arrested again, 3 days before your release." Zoraslan was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for "disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state" and 17 years 6 months for "violating the law no. 6136." and 5 years and 15 months for "possession of dangerous substances without permission". He was sentenced to a total of 53 years and 9 months in prison.
'PROSECUTOR: I WAS WAITING FOR TODAY'
His sister, Emine Seyhan, who reacted to her ill prisoner brother being arrested again and given a life imprisonment just 3 days before his release, said: "The prosecutor said to my brother, 'I was waiting for this day to sentence you. I will also cover the hospital expenses from you." My brother has been in prison for 8 years. He was injured with 13 bullets in 2016. He was operated on many times. He had a clot in his lung during the surgery and was moved to a normal room after staying in intensive care for a week. He was detained on the day he was to be released from the hospital, and then arrested. Due to the surgeries, he can only live with one meter of intestines."
She also said that his brother had 6 bullets in his body and had to be fed with formula.
'IF NECESSARY, THE CASE WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE ECHR'
Stating that it is unlawful to punish his brother again, days before his release, Seyhan said: “We will continue our legal struggle against this unlawfulness. If necessary, we will continue our search for justice by taking my brother's case to the European Court of Human Rights."
'SOCIAL STRUGGLE'
Reminding that there are many ill prisoners with health problems that are more severe than his brother's, Seyhan continued as follows: “There are hundreds of ill prisoners with health problems such as cancer and epilepsy. These are neither released nor treated. They are waiting there to die. This manner towards ill prisoners is unlawful. We must unite around the prisoners against these manners and do whatever is necessary for them. There must be a social struggle for this.”