ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lifted the sentence of 81-year-old Kurdish prisoner Kerim Boran, who suffers from multiple chronic illnesses, a pro-Kurdish media outlet reported on Monday. Mezopotamya Agency (MA) said that Erdogan signed the decree upon the justice ministry’s request. Boran is expected to be released, though no date has been specified. The presidency and state media have not commented. Boran was held in Edirne F-Type Prison, a high-security facility in Turkey’s north, known for housing political prisoners and those serving aggravated sentences. MA reported that Boran and eight other elderly individuals were sentenced in 2021 for allegedly participating in the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) Igdir Justice Commission and mediating family disputes. Authorities viewed the initiative as an extension of HDP’s political activities, and prosecutors charged the members under Turkey’s anti-terror laws. Despite suffering from multiple chronic illnesses, including Parkinson’s and heart failure, and an official medical report confirming his frailty, Boran remained imprisoned until his lawyer requested presidential amnesty. The justice ministry forwarded the request to Erdogan in September 2024, citing his deteriorating health. The HDP, long accused by the Turkish government of ties to the PKK, has since transferred its political work to the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), now the main pro-Kurdish party in parliament. The DEM Party played a key role in mediating the peace talks that led jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to call on his group to disband. The first batch of PKK fighters is expected to lay down arms in the Kurdistan Region next month, informed sources told Rudaw on Monday. Erdogan met with the DEM delegation in April and on Wednesday said he is expected to meet them again upon their request
Turkey21-05-2026Suspension of main opposition leadership targets Turkey-PKK peace process: Mediating party
