ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - As Turkey moves to release thousands of prisoners under a new judicial package, Bahri Yaprak waits outside a prison in Diyarbakir (Amed in Kurdish), for the potential release of one of his six sons who have been behind bars for over a decade.
“Six of my sons are inside [the prison], and it has been 14 years [since they were jailed],” Yaprak told Rudaw on Thursday, expressing hope that one son could be released and another transferred to an open prison.
Yaprak, from the Bismil municipality in the predominantly Kurdish province of Diyarbakir, said all six of his sons were sentenced to 36 years in prison. He added that the new package may allow only one son to be transferred to an open facility, while the remaining five are excluded due to the severity of their sentences.
“Others have heavy sentences. Each was sentenced to 36 years. They have been inside for 14 years,” he said.
Turkey’s parliament has approved the 11th Judicial Package, a long-anticipated reform expected to affect around 50,000 convicts.
Under the law, prisoners who committed crimes before July 31, 2023, may be transferred from closed prisons to “an open penal execution institution three years earlier,” with “the possibility of transfer to supervised release three years earlier,” Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said in a post on Thursday.
Following the law’s passage in Ankara, families of detainees gathered outside prisons, including Diyarbakir prison, awaiting information on transfers and potential releases.
“The main purpose of this regulation is to prevent delays arising outside the convict’s will during investigation and prosecution processes from turning into a result against the individual,” Tunc said.
Those convicted of terrorism-related offenses, organized crime, intentional homicide, sexual crimes, and earthquake-related offenses are excluded from the measure.
Tunc said preparations in penal execution institutions have been completed and that procedures for eligible convicts have already begun.
Mashala Dekak contributed to this report from Diyarbakir, Turkey.