Convicted PKK militant diagnosed with cancer freed on probation

ISTANBUL

Bakırköy Women’s Prison in Istanbul. Hürriyet photo

A court has released Hediye Aksoy, who was blinded in an explosion when she was conducting operations as part of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), due to a cancer diagnosis in jail, Bianet news agency reported yesterday.

Aksoy, 38, was released from the Bakırköy Women’s Prison on probation on March 30. She had joined the PKK at the age of 15 in 1991 and was wounded in a mine explosion three years later. She was sentenced to jail in Erzurum prison at that time, though the sentence was delayed on the grounds that she needed treatment. However, after her release, her home was raided in 2007 and she was arrested for explosives that were found by police. A court sentenced her to 18 years in jail in 2009 for being a member of terror organization and possessing explosives. Later in prison, Aksoy was diagnosed with breast cancer. After medical reports outlining that she cannot live independently, the court decided to release of Aksoy on probation.