Political prisoner Sonay Mengütay has been released after 30 years of imprisonment. The 52-year-old woman left Kandıra No. 1 F-Type High-Security Prison in Kocaeli, where she had been held since 2016. Outside the prison, she was welcomed by her family, as well as representatives of the Marmara Association for Solidarity with Prisoners’ Families (MATUHAYDER), the Free Women’s Movement (TJA), and the DEM Party (Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party).
Welcomed with chants of “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (Woman, Life, Freedom), Mengütay said following her release: “As happy as I am, my joy is overshadowed by the fact that I had to leave my friends behind. But we will get them all out soon.”
Referring to the ongoing process for peace and democratic society, Mengütay emphasized her willingness to take part in the new political phase. “As you know, a peace process is underway. We are all part of this process. We are ready to do everything within our power.”
Sentenced by a State Security Court
Mengütay was born in 1974 in a village in the district of Susuz in Kars province and joined the Kurdish freedom movement in 1993. In 1996, she was arrested in Erzurum, charged before a State Security Court (DGM, since abolished) with “destroying the unity of the Turkish state,” and sentenced to life imprisonment.
During her 30 years in prison, she was held in various correctional facilities. Reflecting on her three decades of imprisonment after her release, Mengütay said: “May these 30 years be dedicated to our people.”