IFJ and EFJ call for urgent medical care for Turkish journalist Tuncer Çetinkaya

Tuncer Çetinkaya, a journalist and former regional representative of Zaman newspaper in Antalya, has been detained for 11 months in Turkey and is now held in Antalya prison. He urgently needs medical care. According to his relatives who contacted the IFJ-EFJ, Tuncer Çetinkaya is seriously ill and suffers from autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) which requires regular and specific treatment. His daughter reports that during his first three months in jail,  Çetinkaya  was not allowed to use his drugs or see a doctor. His health situation has steadily worsened and he has already lost 54% of his kidney. He also lost a lot of weight, his daughter reports. Çetinkaya's lawyer has kept writing petitions to all relevant medical bodies about the fast deterioration of his client's health asking for a committee of doctors to examine him and state that his situation was not fit for prison conditions. To date he has received no answer.  Mr. Çetinkaya was able to see a doctor only once since January 2017. The IFJ and EFJ are extremely concerned about the deteriorating health of Tuncer Çetinkaya and urge the prison authorities in Antalya to provide him the necessary care his heath requires, including being examined by a committee of doctors to assess his situation.