Gülmen Transferred From Intensive Care to Hospital’s Prisoner Facility

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Academic Nuriye Gülmen has been taken out of the intensive care unit of Numune Hospital in Turkey's capital of Ankara and transferred back to the hospital's prisoner facility.

People's Law Office has announced on its social media account, that Gülmen's transfer took place in the evening hours on Monday (October 9).

Forcibly taken to intensive care ahead of hearing

After spending 46 days behind bars where they continued their hunger strike, Gülmen and teacher Semih Özakça also on hunger strike to be reinstated to his job, were transferred to Sincan Prison Campus State Hospital on July 8, 2017 that is located outside of Ankara.

On September 25, three days before their next hearing, Gülmen who has been continuing her hunger strike in detention, was taken to intensive care unit of Numune Hospital which has a more central location in Ankara.

Speaking to bianet, one of her attorneys Murat Yılmaz had said that Gülmen was forcibly brought to intensive care unit although she was in a conscious state and pointed out that the aim was to prevent her from attending the next hearing of their trial with Semih Özakça which would be held on Sincan Prison Campus on September 28.

Has no sitter/company, has not taken a bath for 13 days

Republican People's Party (CHP) Malatya MP and member of the Parliament's Human Rights Inquiry Committee Veli Ağbaba and CHP Ankara MPs Şenal Sarıhan and Necati Yılmaz wanted to visit Gülmen today (October 11) in Numune Hospital.

Ağbaba, the only one of them who was allowed to visit Gülmen, made a statement after his visit which lasted approximately 30 minutes and said:

"This is what Nuriye says: 'My detention, my arrest and also keeping me in a hospital is completely unlawful. Because I am not sick, I am being kept here although I am not ill'. She also noted that she had no difficulties with the hospital personnel.

"She has also told that for 13 days, she had been kept in a room which had a toilet and bathroom outside and that there were also gendarmerie in the room. She told, since she could not stand in balance as she had no sitter/company, she had not taken a bath for 13 days. She looks half the size from when I last saw her"

"She told that she has felt like an animal in a cage for 13 days. She also told that there was no daylight where she currently stayed and she couldn't tell day from night.

"Explaining that she had friends while she was in prison, who helped her take a bath and do some exercise, Nuriye said ' Under these circumstances, I cannot exercise, nor walk".

Detentions after Ağbaba's statement

Ağbaba noted that they called on the Government to put an end to this unlawful situation and that Gülmen and Özakça be reinstated to their jobs.

Following his statement, police have intervened in some people and families who also wanted to make a statement.
Beyza Gülmen, Acun Karadağ, Celil Aslan, Perihan Pulat and Şükriye Ercan have been taken into custody. (AS/DG)