Diseased Author Aydın Imprisoned

Executives of Ceylan Publishing, Ragıp Zarakolu as the President of the Freedom for Publishing Commission of the Turkish Publishers Association (TYB) and the Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD) released a press statement to criticize the arrest of author and human rights defender Hasan Basri Aydın.

The declaration was attended by Yılmaz Koruk, owner of Ceylan Publishing, the company's editor Mukaddes Erdoğdu Çelik, writer Aydın's daughter Alanur Aydın and Ragıp Zarakolu. They claimed that Aydın, who is in a desolate health condition, should be released.

"The state is acting within the limit of vengefulness. [Aydın] should not have sent to prison at his age and in his desolate health condition, Erdoğu said in the joint press release.

76-year-old Aydın was taken into custody in Firuzköy (Istanbul) one week earlier. He was taken to prison on 22 January on the grounds of two finalized prison sentences of two years and two months in the scope of two court cases. In one of the trials he was convicted of "insult" of Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek.

The statement critized the fact that Necmettin Erbakan, a former Turkish Prime Minister, was saved from going to jail while Aydın was sent to the Paşakapısı Prison. (EG/EÖ)