Will Mahir Polat be released? Committee report awaited

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat was recently detained in a dawn raid and subsequently arrested due to serious health issues.

Polat's health condition deteriorated last night, and he was rushed to the hospital after his blood pressure could not be stabilized. Polat was taken to the Istanbul Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital in Küçükçekmece, where he underwent an angiogram this morning following initial intervention.

Polat's lawyer, Erkam Erdem, stated that his client's health is improving and that he is expected to be discharged today. Erdem noted that after being discharged, Polat will be taken back to Silivri Prison.

MEDICAL BOARD REPORT AWAITED FOR RELEASE

The decision regarding Mahir Polat's release will be made by a board of doctors. A medical opinion stating that Polat is in a condition that makes it impossible for him to remain in prison would facilitate his release.

LAWYER ISSUES STATEMENT

Polat's lawyer, Erkam Erdem, also explained his client's health issues by connecting to a Halk TV broadcast. Erdem stated the following:

“These high blood pressure symptoms were present from the moment of detention; we were trying to manage the situation there with some medication. Of course, such very high blood pressure was something we discussed verbally during the detention process and in connection with chest pain, but it had not reached the point of necessitating a hospital transfer.”

“On Wednesday, he was transferred to the hospital for the first time with high blood pressure of 16/11 and chest pain. During his check-up at the hospital, he was returned to his ward after the acute situation was addressed; he was brought back to prison. Upon this, we filed an objection to the arrest with the prosecutor's office, noting this situation, and we also requested that the prosecutor's office transfer him to a fully equipped hospital to determine whether he could remain in prison.”

“The prosecutor's office had accepted this as of Friday, but the reason we are here is the acute situation that occurred last night, before this transfer could take place. This place is not a fully equipped hospital anyway.”

“As Mahir Bey has stated from the very beginning—we mentioned this to law enforcement, the prosecutor's office, and the criminal judgeship of peace regarding Mahir Bey's health condition—there is no situation that requires arrest based on the content of the file. But independently of that, we said that if the court was going to make an evaluation following his arrest, it should be in the form of judicial control,” he said, adding, “But it was not taken into account at the time. Today, we have seen twice this week that Mahir Bey's health condition is not something we are just stating on paper. It is a serious reality.”