Amed (Diyarbakır) Administrative Observation Board continues to postpone the release of prisoners on the grounds that they have not expressed remorse. Most recently, the release of Ahmet Tüneli, who has been imprisoned for 30 years in Siverek No. 2 Type T Closed Prison, was delayed for the third time. Although he had completed his sentence, his release, first postponed in October last year, was again delayed in January and August.
On 6 August, 92-year-old Azize Tüneli waited for hours at her door in the hope that her son would be released, only to learn of the postponement. Calling the situation “inhuman,” she continues to wait at her doorstep for the day her son will return.
Holding on to life with the hope of seeing her son, Azize Tüneli has been unable to visit Ahmet for the past six years due to health problems.
Ahmet Tüneli was detained at his home in the Rezan (Bağlar) district of Amed on 1 November 1994 and later arrested. In 1996, the Diyarbakır No. 2 Specially Authorized Court sentenced him to life imprisonment on charges of “undermining the unity and integrity of the state.” Expected to be released last year, his parole was blocked on the grounds that he had “shown no remorse.” The same decision was issued again in January, and once more this month, when the board postponed his release by another three months citing “lack of remorse.”
She collapsed after hearing her son would not be released
For nearly 30 years, mother Azize Tüneli has gone to prison gates hoping to see her son. On 6 August, after three decades, she placed a cushion at her doorstep and waited in the hope that he would finally be released. After hours of waiting, when the arriving vehicle did not bring her son and she heard of the postponement decision, she collapsed.
Due to her advanced age and chronic illnesses, Azize Tüneli has been unable to travel and has not seen her son for about six years.
She said, “If I could just hug him and kiss him once, I would feel at peace. I want to see him before I die.” Azize Tüneli keeps her eyes fixed on the door, still waiting for her son’s return. She spends her days sitting outside and never leaving her home, holding on to the hope that he will come. Protesting the injustice, she added: “This is not what they call peace. If they truly want peace, they should first let me see my son.”
I have not seen my son for six years
Azize Tüneli described her experience with these words: “I have been to many prisons; most recently, they transferred him to Siverek. My life has been spent waiting for my son at prison gates. Now I am waiting for him at my own door. I am ill; I can neither travel nor pass through the security scanners. My son used to tell me, ‘Do not come, you are sick.’ But I could never bear not to see him.
My son went on a hunger strike for days, and because of that he has many health problems. He has a herniated disc in his back and other illnesses in his body. He cannot walk upright. The last time I saw him, he was ill. I have not seen him for six years. While I am still alive, I want to see him, to hold him close. I do not want to die without seeing him. I wait at this door, hoping to see him. His sentence is over, but they will not release him. In this way, they are punishing both him and us.”
I sit at the door, eyes on the road, waiting for him
Azize Tüneli said that the injustice she faces is neither moral nor humane: “My eyes have been on the road for days. When I saw that the vehicle arrived empty that day, I cried for hours. They have no right to do this to us. I want to see him with these eyes. They should release him so that he can come here, to his home. I cannot go to the prison or anywhere else. All I want is to see him, just once. I do not want to die without seeing him. They talk about peace, but they separate a mother from her son. This is not humanity, this is not conscience. If you want peace, then first release these people from prison. Let them see my struggle. I miss my son so much.”
Source: ANF News
