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Ali Osman Köse is a 65 years old socialist revolutionary with a severe case of cancer. He has been in prison for the last 38 years in Turkey and has been held in the solitary confinement conditions for the last 21 years. The cancer was diagnosed too late, as a result of the imprisonment conditions. Even if the cancerous kidney was removed, he has many other health problems. Also, it is not known if the cancer has a metastatic spread as the Forensic Medicine Institute didn’t yet give an approval for a PET filming. According to the article 16 of the Turkish Execution Law, he should be released for immediate treatment. However, authorities do not apply the rule of law, stripping away his right to live. The reason is obvious: Ali Osman Köse never bowed his head down to fascism and never renounced his political views. He is a strong representative of the tradition of the uncompromising ‘free prisoners’.
There were and still are many cases of such mistreatment to the sick political prisoners throughout the prisons in Turkey. The rule of law never applies to political prisoners and socialist revolutionaries. But as there is oppression, there is also resistance to ill-treatment against prisoners. In the past, several campaigns launched for sick prisoners Güler Zere, Mesude Pehlivan, Mete Diş and Kemal Avcı, which successfully ended up with the freedom of the prisoners to receive medical care. We are determined to add Ali Osman Köse to this list!
The Forensic Medical Institute, collaborator of the Fascist AKP government, has become a murderer and doctors become useful tools as their executioners. All of them are united to kill Ali Osman Köse by preventing his treatment!
The current situation of the cancer is not known, as it seems to us that Forensic Medical Institute waits of the metastatic spread. Ministry of Justice and Tekirdağ F-Type Prison authorities are also responsible for such a despicable act.
For this campaign our slogan is: “TREATMENT NOW! EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE LATER!” as the execution of the sentence can always be implemented. However, the treatment CANNOT be delayed!
We can only achieve this goal with a collective effort, both within Turkey and also with the help of the international support. From Berlin to Zurich, Stuttgart to Paris, Athens, London etc. there are weekly demonstrations, press statements and other type of actions. People send cards and letters to Ali Osman Köse (address below) and complaint letters to Ministry of Justice, Forensic Medical Institute and prison authorities. There is a signature campaign running for months now and recently an online signature campaign started (link below).
The oppression is like a snowball running down a hill, it gets bigger and faster over time if none is there to stop it. But if there is even small stones lays on the way, it will crumble into small pieces. If we come together, we can crush the oppression and make sure that prisoners gets the treatment they need!
For more information: freealiosmankose.wordpress.com
Online Petition: change.org/aliosmankose
Ali Osman Köse’s address: 1 No’lu F Tipi Hapishane Tekirdağ, Türkiye