Prison Prosecutor to Inmates: "Even the Minister Can't Free You"

A Turkish prosecutor told prisoners that he would not release them, even if ordered to do so by the Justice Minister. The claim was made by Mehmet Zeki İrmez, an MP from the DEM Party. He reported alleged rights violations by prison monitoring boards. İrmez stated that inmates themselves relayed the incident. They said the prison prosecutor told them, "Even if the Minister called me, nothing would change. I will not release you." The MP was addressing problems within the Prison Administration and Monitoring Boards. He did not specify which prison or prosecutor was involved.