COLEMÊRG – Eşref Aker, husband of politician and seriously ill prisoner Felem Aker, called for removing obstacles to the release of ill prisoners, asking, “Do their funerals have to come first? This issue should not even be a matter of negotiation.”
Felem Aker, detained since August 14, 2020, on charges of “terror organisation membership,” was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months and transferred to Van T-Type Prison. Despite a gallbladder surgery in December 2024 and multiple asthma attacks, she was returned to prison without full treatment. Doctors have identified serious risks from nodules and critical low calcium levels, but her condition was dismissed as “psychological.”
Eşref Aker highlighted that his wife’s political and Kurdish identity led to wrongful imprisonment. He described Felem Aker’s worsening asthma and lack of adequate treatment in prison, stating, “She cannot breathe. The closed environment triggers his illnesses repeatedly. We have lost patience; how long will this cruelty continue?”
Responding to the lack of progress despite Abdullah Öcalan’s call for peace, Eşref criticized the government for using ill political prisoners as “hostages,” demanding immediate releases to build trust in the process.
Aker insisted that seriously ill political prisoners must be freed immediately to receive proper care with their families, emphasizing, “This torture must end. No one should have to die for their release. Those responsible will one day face justice.”