Sexual abuse convict and former columnist dies in hospital

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

Üzmez, 83, was convicted of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl and was sentenced to 13 years and 1.5 months in jail in 2009. DHA Photo

Hüseyin Üzmez, a sexual abuse convict and former columnist of the hardline Islamist daily Yeni Akit, has died in an Ankara hospital, almost two weeks after being discharged from prison due to psychological and health problems.

Üzmez, 83, who was convicted of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl and was sentenced to 13 years and 1.5 months in jail in 2009, died in a private hospital in Ankara early on Oct. 14. He had been admitted to the hospital on the previous night, and was brought back to life after his heart had stopped.

The former columnist was discharged from the Metris Prison in Istanbul 12 days ago due to ill health and psychological problems.