Halil Karakoç, an 85-year-old retired imam imprisoned over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, was released from Menemen Prison on Thursday after spending more than four years behind bars, despite being eligible for parole a year ago, the TR724 news website reported.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has targeted followers of the movement, inspired by the late Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, since corruption investigations in 2013 implicated members of his inner circle. The crackdown intensified after a failed coup in July 2016 that Erdoğan blamed on the movement, which denies any involvement.
Footage shared on social media showing Karakoç barely able to walk up the steps to his home in Manisa with the help of a cane prompted widespread condemnation and renewed calls for an end to the imprisonment of ailing elderly inmates. Many users described his continued incarceration as inhumane.
Karakoç was arrested in December 2020 and sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison on charges related to his alleged ties to the Gülen movement. He was accused of having a bank account at the now-closed Banka Asya and attending events organized by movement members.
The Turkish government has accepted such daily activities — including having accounts at Gülen-linked banks, working at affiliated institutions or subscribing to certain newspapers — as sufficient grounds to prosecute tens of thousands of people for alleged terrorist organization membership.
Karakoç suffers from multiple health issues including heart disease, diabetes, prostate complications and limited mobility. He reportedly takes 14 medications daily. Despite his condition, Turkey’s Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) repeatedly found him fit to remain in prison, a decision that rights groups have criticized as politically motivated.
Although he qualified for supervised release last year, Menemen Prison’s administrative board denied his parole in periodic reviews every three months. After years of public outcry and calls from opposition lawmakers, including Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu, he was finally freed.
Tanrıkulu, who visited Karakoç in prison in 2022, previously said: “He should not be in prison. He walks with a cane, has several chronic illnesses, and only his wife is left to care for him. The state is punishing people collectively.”
Karakoç was initially arrested 10 days after the 2016 coup attempt, despite having a broken hip at the time. He spent 30 days in police custody, then 18 months in pretrial detention. After being released, he underwent surgery and was bedridden for months before being re-arrested in 2021 following the Supreme Court of Appeals’ approval of his sentence.
He now lives in the same Manisa home that he had previously donated to a foundation shut down by a government decree. The state confiscated the property after the foundation’s closure, forcing Karakoç to live in the building as a tenant.
According to the Human Rights Association’s 2025 report on sick prisoners, at least 1,412 inmates in Turkish prisons are currently identified as seriously ill, including 161 women and 1,251 men. Of these, 335 are classified as critical cases, with 230 unable to survive without assistance and 105 in need of regular support. The report also noted that 188 prisoners require continuous monitoring due to the severity of their conditions.
The report points to severe systemic failures, including months-long delays in medical referrals, handcuffed examinations, overcrowded and poorly ventilated cells and unhygienic conditions in transport vehicles. The association also criticized the lack of transparency, stating that the Justice Ministry does not publish data on the number of sick inmates.
Human rights activists and opposition politicians continue to demand the release of elderly and sick inmates, warning that many are effectively being condemned to die in prison.