History teacher gives birth to her third child in prison


Date posted: June 29, 2017

Under arrest as part of an investigation into the Gulen movement since Nov 3, 2016, history teacher Özlem Meci gave birth to her third child in prison.

A mother of two, Özlem delivered her third child, named Murat, on Feb 15, 2017 but her requests for trial without arrest have remained inconclusive so far.

A former lecturer at a preparatory school established by followers of the movement in Ardahan Özlem was arrested on charge of attempting to demolish constitutional order and of membership to a terrorist organization.

The government accuses of masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and considers it as a terrorist organization. The group denies both involvement in the failed coup and terror charges.

“As far as I know, it is against our Constitution to keep women in prison after they turn the 6th month in pregnancy,” Özlem told the prosecutor’s office in a letter, dated Nov 23, 2016.

Özlem and Murat have been staying at Aliaga prison in the western province of Izmir.

According to recent data released by the Ministry of Justice, more than 2,250 mothers are held in penal institutions, of whom 520 are obliged to raise their 0 to 6-year-old children in prison.

Source: Turkey Purge , June 29, 2017


Related News

Why Gulen Should Not Be Extradited

To extradite Gulen would not only imply a high chance of an unfair trial, but would also sound the death knell of a blueprint for global peace. Gulen’s ideas have all the potential for a global approach to peace-building. John L. Esposito, a professor at Georgetown University and a highly respected expert on Islam, called Gulen’s initiatives “extraordinarily unique”, and suggested it would be “wise” for other Muslim movements to emulate them.

HRW: Prosecutions of alleged followers of Gülen Movement lack of evidence of criminal activity

HRW report: “People continued to be arrested and remanded to pretrial custody on terrorism charges, with at least 50,000 remanded to pretrial detention and many more prosecuted since the failed coup. Those prosecuted include journalists, civil servants, teachers and politicians as well as police officers and military personnel. Most were accused of being followers of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen. Their charge often lacked compelling evidence of criminal activity.”

Hizmet movement and the AK Party

Nazli Ilicak The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) has responded to a series of claims about and slanderous accusations against the Hizmet movement. Currently there is a lot of insulting talk on social media and in some media circles about the movement. Some columnists who support the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) claim that members of […]

Today’s Zaman celebrates 6th anniversary with columnists, editors

Today’s Zaman editors and columnists came together to celebrate the daily’s sixth anniversary at a dinner on Monday night. Some 30 Today’s Zaman columnists and the daily’s editorial staff came together at the Today’s Zaman headquarters in İstanbul for the dinner. “Today’s Zaman has been acknowledged as a reliable source of news and analysis during […]

Amnesty: 500,000 Kurds displaced in Turkey’s Southeast due to curfews, crackdown

Tens of thousands of residents of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sur are among an estimated half million people forced from their homes as a result of a brutal crackdown by Turkish authorities over the past year which may amount to collective punishment, said Amnesty International in a new report.

Afghan-Turk Teachers Call Their Extradition Illegal

Following government’s move to arrest three teachers from Afghan-Turk Schools, other staff members said they are refugees in Afghanistan and that their extradition to Turkey by the Afghan government is illegal.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Pak-Turk schools’ 17th anniversary

Peace Islands Institute Annual Gala 2014

Deviation, crisis and opportunities…

Gülen’s lawyer asks MİT whether it wiretapped client’s phone

Afghan official lauds Turkey’s education drive

LDP leader says received ‘indecent proposal’ from pro-gov’t paper

Niagara Foundation Peace and Dialogue Award Honorees Recognized in Chicago

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News