Statement from the General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses regarding the release of Veysi Aktaş: 'No exception was applied'

The statement from the General Directorate noted that there is a need to inform the public accurately regarding news and posts circulating in some media outlets and social media platforms claiming that "PKK convict Veysi Aktaş, who was held at İmralı Prison, has been released."

The General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses (CTE) announced that all procedures regarding the conditional release of Veysi Aktaş, a convict and member of the PKK terrorist organization held at the İmralı F-Type High-Security Closed Penal Institution, were carried out within the framework of enforcement legislation and judicial decisions, and that no special treatment was applied.

The statement recalled that Veysi Aktaş, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime of "attempting to separate a part of the lands under the sovereignty of the state from state administration" (Article 125 of the former Turkish Penal Code No. 765), entered the penal institution on May 11, 1994, and was transferred to the İmralı F-Type High-Security Closed Penal Institution on March 17, 2015. The statement included the following remarks:

"Although the convict, who was serving a life sentence at the İmralı F-Type High-Security Closed Penal Institution, had completed the 30-year period for conditional release, his good conduct assessment was rejected three times by the administration and observation board. Following an evaluation conducted on July 25, 2025, it was decided that he would be conditionally released after having remained in the penal institution for approximately 32 years. As of the date of his release, the convict had no existing disciplinary penalties, and all procedures were carried out within the framework of enforcement legislation and judicial decisions; no special treatment or exception was applied. Comments and perception management efforts containing disinformation circulating on some social media platforms should not be given credence."