79-year-old Meryem Soylu held in prison on terrorism charges hospitalized due to her stomach disease. “My mother cannot stay in prison while she has been suffering many diseases. Before her arrest, we always took her to a hospital,” said her daughter Dilan Soylu demanding the immediate release of her mother.

Amed- On March 3, 79-year-old Meryem Soylu, an administrator of the Solidarity with Families Who Lost Their Relatives in the Cradle of Civilizations Association (MEBYA-DER), was sent to prison on the charges of “being a member of a (terrorist) organization”. Meryem Soylu has suffered from asthma, diabetes, and hypertension and she had undergone surgery for her stomach disease before being sent to prison. In the first week of her imprisonment, she was hospitalized due to her stomach disease. Her daughter Dilan Soylu demands the immediate release of her mother.

Meryem Soylu had previously been sentenced to nine years and two months in prison on the same charges and she was released from the prison two years ago. During her nine years and two months imprisonment, she was transferred to almost all prisons in Turkey, and she became sick.

She was hospitalized!

On March 3, Meryem Soylu was sent to prison. After being held under quarantine, she was transferred to a normal cell.  But shortly after, she felt pain in her stomach and she was transferred to a hospital. On a phone call at the hospital, Meryem Soylu told her family members that she was mistreated at the hospital. “When they (police) raided our house to detain my mother, I was also at home. It was usual for us because my mother had been detained many times before.  After being held under detention for four days, she was sent to prison. When we heard that she was sent to prison, we were surprised because there was no concrete evidence against her,” Dilan told us.

“My mother caught all her diseases from prisons”

Dilan Soylu drew attention that her mother cannot stay in prison due to her diseases.

“She was previously held in prison for nine years on the same charges. She was held in many prisons such as the prison in Diyarbakır, Sincar, Elazığ, and Antep. In short, she has spent her life in prison. She had no disease when she was firstly held in prison. But after being held in prison, she caught all her diseases. She has suffered from asthma so she has had difficulties staying in prison. She underwent surgery for her stomach disease while she was handcuffed. We weren’t allowed to see her during that time. After the surgery, I visited her at the hospital. She was handcuffed. I wasn’t allowed to enter her room so I talked to her from outside of the room.”

“The state shouldn’t be afraid of mothers”

Dilan Soylu emphasized that they concern about their mother. “Both my mother and other mothers have suffered from many diseases. Their place shouldn’t be prisons. My mother has already spent her life in prison. She is now held in prison again. As her family and children, we concern about her life. Both my mother and other mothers should be released immediately. My mother cannot stay in prison anymore due to her diseases. We are afraid that something will happen to her in prison. The state shouldn’t be afraid of mothers, it sends mothers to prison when the mothers speak out. I don’t accept this situation; we demand the immediate release of our mother.”