Turkey unveils prison reform bill, but Kurds say it falls short
The proposed changes would expand conditional release for some inmates but fail to meet demands of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party amid peace efforts.
ANKARA — Turkey’s ruling party unveiled on Thursday a long-anticipated draft law introducing reforms to the enforcement of prison sentences, but the bill has sparked frustration from the pro-Kurdish opposition amid ongoing efforts to resolve the country’s decades-old Kurdish conflict.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which introduced the bill as part of a broader judicial reform push, proposes amendments to 30 articles across nine separate laws, focusing primarily on sentence enforcement regulations.
Among its key provisions, the bill expands eligibility for conditional release to include elderly, ill, female and juvenile prisoners, excluding those convicted of coup-related crimes and individuals sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. According to an April report by Turkey’s Human Rights Association, more than 1,400 critically ill prisoners remain behind bars across the country.
Introducing the proposal, Abdullah Guler, deputy chair of the AKP’s parliamentary group, said the reforms could benefit more than 19,000 detainees and convicts.
