Rights violations against prisoners persist across Turkey. In Bolu Type F High-Security Prison, frequently criticized for systematic abuses, it has been reported that the release of 35 prisoners was postponed by the Administrative and Monitoring Board on the grounds that they were “not of good conduct.” Many of these prisoners have been incarcerated for nearly 30 years, and their release dates have been delayed multiple times.
One of them is Mehmet Deniz Güzel, who was arrested in 1992 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Although he completed his sentence, he has now spent 33 years behind bars. His release was first postponed for two and a half years based on previous solitary confinement penalties.
After serving those penalties, Mehmet Deniz Güzel appeared before the board once again. However, his release was postponed twice more on arbitrary grounds. His sentence was extended by six months, and he is expected to appear before the board again this August.
Emin Güzel, the brother of Mehmet Deniz Güzel, condemned the ongoing process, stating that Bolu Prison has effectively become a center of systematic torture. He said, “There is no rule of law, nor any respect for human rights. A policy of intimidation is being imposed in prisons,” and voicing his outrage over the repeated postponements.
33 years behind bars
Deniz Güzel was arrested in 1992 after being detained between the districts of Lice (Diyarbakır) and Genç (Bingöl), and has remained in prison ever since, now for 33 years. Although he was sentenced to life imprisonment and has completed the execution period of his sentence, his release continues to be postponed on arbitrary grounds.
According to his brother Emin Güzel, Deniz was first sent to Bingöl Prison after his arrest. After spending about a month there, he was transferred to Diyarbakır Type E Prison. Six months later, he was exiled to Bartın Prison, where he remained until 2003–2004.
He was then transferred to Kandıra Prison and held there for three years. In 2007, Deniz Güzel was exiled once again, this time to Bolu Type F High-Security Prison, where he has been held ever since.
Releases delayed for reading too many books
Emin Güzel stated that although his brother, Deniz Güzel, has completed the execution period of his sentence, his release has been obstructed for years on the basis of various disciplinary penalties. He emphasized that most of these penalties are arbitrary in nature: “My brother was punished simply for saying ‘Mr. Öcalan.’ He was given a one-year sentence for allegedly breaking a security camera. At Kandıra Prison, he received two solitary confinement penalties, one for three days and another for eleven days. These punishments were later overturned through legal appeals. At present, he has no active solitary confinement penalties on record.
In February 2025, his execution status was corrected, but the prison administration postponed his release by three months. Then, this period was extended for another three months. During board evaluations, they ask whether you feel remorse, how much you read, whether you use too much water, or whether you speak with the prison imam. These personal preferences are used as justification, but none of these criteria are legally valid.”
There is neither justice nor law anymore
Emin Güzel stated that dozens of prisoners in Bolu Prison are in the same situation as Deniz Güzel, with the release of nearly 35 individuals repeatedly postponed, some of them denied release seven, eight, or even nine times.
Güzel said: “In the past two years, only two prisoners in this situation have been released: Sedat Atsız and Ramazan Uğural. Ramazan was freed only after his release was postponed three times. A systematic policy of repression is being carried out in prisons. We are no longer talking about justice or human rights, because neither exists anymore.
We are facing a state that refuses to recognize the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and does not implement the rulings of its own Constitutional Court. What is happening in prisons is not random; it is a deliberate policy.”
Emin Güzel also noted that hundreds of prisoners have been held for over 30 years, yet continue to resist: “By law, no one can be held for more than 36 years. Many have already spent two to three extra years in prison. But our friends do not give up. Above all, we demand the immediate release of Abdullah Öcalan and all political prisoners. As the Democratic Society Contract is being discussed, all ill prisoners, those whose sentences have been arbitrarily extended, and those who have already served the majority of their time must be freed without delay.”
Genuine steps must be taken
Emin Güzel added that solving the problem does not even require a new law: “They keep stalling with promises of an omnibus bill, but these people have already served their sentences. They are being kept inside on arbitrary grounds. It is said that talks are ongoing between the Ministry of Justice and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), yet the public is constantly given false hope with statements like ‘An omnibus bill will be passed this fall.’ This issue could be resolved with a sincere approach.”
Emin Güzel emphasized the critical nature of the current period and concluded with the following words: “There is much more we could say, but we are choosing not to at this time. On one hand, guerrilla forces are laying down arms; on the other, high-level negotiations are being held with the state. What we need now is not delay, but concrete and meaningful action.”
Source: ANF News
